She Was Beautiful
by BattyBigSister
Summary: Gaara was always the sort of man for whom one person could change the world, but in the middle of a chaotic ninja alliance mission he never expected it to be her. Set during and after the Fourth Great Ninja War. G/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_She was beautiful. He knew it every time he looked at her. Every time she filled his senses and his mind with her bright colour. Every time his trembling fingertips brushed her soft, soft skin. Every time she laughed or called to talk to him. She was bright, beautiful, burning like the sunlight… and she would never love him back._

_

* * *

_It was half past four in the very early morning. The Kazekage was still awake and sorting through the paperwork in his office. He shuffled and reshuffled the papers, reading paragraph after mindless paragraph. It didn't seem to make any sense. Pinching his nose against his permanently tired eyes, he bent lower over the desk and tried again. _Something about…. What was that?_

He sighed, snapping back upright and slamming his hand against the desk in frustration. He was just too tired for this. _Why couldn't he sleep?_ He tried. He really tried. He would lie down on the couch in his office or in his bed, close his eyes and everything. He drank milk. He ate chicken. He read boring books. He had run half a marathon. He had even taken a bath... with bubbles. Nothing worked.

It wasn't that he didn't feel tired either. He was exhausted, constantly and permanently exhausted, and could find no release from it. Eventually his body would give out on him and he would collapse into a kind of fitful slumber, only to wake up a few hours later, stiff and sore and almost as tired as he had fallen asleep. He had tried the forced sleep jutsu and it was hardly any better. His medic ninja told him that it was because his body wasn't used to sleep. He had no established sleeping pattern. It would take time to adjust. They gave him medication. It was worse than the insomnia.

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, sighing again. This was hell. For sixteen years he had housed the Shukaku, the fearsome one-tailed beast of evil chakra, in his own body. It had tortured him, tormented him, kept him awake in a kind of living nightmare, not daring to sleep because if he did – if he let go for an instant – then Shukaku would rise up inside him and he would be stuck in a true hell, far worse than he could imagine.

Now that monster was gone, stolen by the bastards from Akatsuki, and for the first time he realized that the very thing that tortured him had also protected him; saved him from himself. It had healed the damage to his body, restored his cells and refreshed his energy, undoing the harm it caused by keeping him awake. All he had needed was to sit quietly and rest for a little bit from time to time and he had been fine. It had been bearable, existable. Now Shukaku was gone. The damage went unchecked.

He had never known sleep and suddenly his body was crying out for it, demanding it in a command he did not know how to obey. Tiredness bit into his body like a rabid dog and he could not break free of it. It was hell, torture far beyond what Shukaku had put him through, and there was no possible way of escaping this time.

Gaara stood, adjusting his robes, and walked the few paces across the room to the windows. Dawn in the desert was a majestic sight. A plethora of pinks and reds and oranges spilled into the untouched sky, staining its twinkling starlight. The new day kissed the sandstone walls and houses of Suna village, turning the dull yellow orbs into shining beacons in the desert. The wind stirred lose sand in the empty streets and Suna's collection of desert birds and other wildlife stirred and set about finding breakfast before the humans grew too noisy and disturbed them.

He placed a hand against the window frame, feeling the cool condensation seeping down through his protective sand coating to his aching skin. Suna village was beautiful. He knew it. The desert was beautiful. It was the first true beauty he had ever known in his lonely existence and, like a little boy with his first true love, he kept running back to it, struggling to let go. Its people had feared him as a child, but now they respected him. Dare he say it, they even loved him. He had become Kazekage, Suna's leader, caring for it and nurturing it, watching over it and guiding it. However often he might or might not leave, Suna was always foremost in his heart.

A rattling sound from the far depths of his office disturbed him from his thoughts. It was a cavernous place, made more so by the bare stone walls traditional in Suna, and filled with little more than the most essential office furniture; a desk, chairs, pot plants… Still the one thing that was probably uniquely his was the large hamster cage in the far corner in the shade of a large pot plant. _(1)_ It had been a present from his two siblings for his last birthday and currently said present was suspended upside down, halfway up the corner of its cage, gnawing at the bars to make it clear that now was a time when it wanted attention.

Gaara sighed and made his way across the room to answer the call. The hamster hurrying to climb on his hand the moment he undid its door, evidently keen to remind him that he had more responsibilities than a mere member of the five most powerful ninja villages. It sat there, perched on his wrist close to his body, and groomed its whiskers. The faintest of smiles crossed Gaara's face and he ran a solitary finger over the little creature's back. It paused in its activity, staring up at its human caregiver with a puzzled expression. Turning its little head, it investigated the finger. The tiny pink nose continually twitched in excitement as it followed the digit over Gaara's arm and then, apparently satisfied, it dove up Gaara's sleeve, happily burrowing its way up to his shoulder.

For a moment Gaara stood still watching the vigorous little bump crawling up his arm, but then he returned to the other side of the room and the windows from which he could see Suna. Like virtually all the windows in the village they were small, round and portal shaped, designed to let in light but not start working like a miniature greenhouse under the furious desert sun. Whoever had designed the Kazekage's office though had seriously undermined this effect by inserting an entire row of them... and they were about twice the normal size too. Apparently being a Kazekage meant being able to endure your own personal sauna between the hours of nine and four each day.

On the upside though it did provide a fabulous view of Suna village. Gaara spun his desk chair around and settled himself in it, watching as the sun established itself in the sky. The hamster clambered out of the neck of his robes, and hesitantly perched over his collarbones pawing the fabric with his tiny pink paws. It took one step forward then another, bracing its weight with its front legs, and not so much climbed as tumbled down the Kazekage's front landing in a curled-up ball on his lap. Almost immediately it got up, and scurried off determinedly towards a knee for further climbing practice.

Gaaza scooped him up gently before he got there. Carefully he fed the hamster from one hand to the next, letting it run on a never-ending walkway instead. It bounded along happily; seemingly confident that if it just kept going eventually it would get somewhere interesting.

The early sunlight was almost fully established now and it fell on the Kazekage's pale milky face in a rich shimmering gold. His crimson hair became slightly orange in the glow. As he turned his head in the sunlight, his fringe shifted a little revealing the blood-red scar on his forehead. The kanji character for love shone vividly in the morning light. His hidden ninja village started to stir below him and the Kazekage knew that soon he would need to officially start his day, whether he had rested or not.

* * *

_(1)_ A reference to my other Gaara story, 'Gaara's Little Friend'. Couldn't resist. ;0$


	2. Chapter 2a

**Chapter 2**

_What did she think of him? He dreaded imagining it. To the rest of the world he was an influential leader, a powerful ninja, a force to be respected or feared… To her he was probably still just a child; a half-grown shinobi who had shot up through the ranks and now strutted around with the adults as if he belonged there; a teenage boy with bad dreams who needed to be coddled and coaxed to be able to sleep. Did she know how he felt? He feared she might. After all, she specialized in knowing that kind of thing. Yet if she did, then she was ignoring his attachment to her. Did she really feel nothing in return?_

_

* * *

_"Are you sure you don't wish to take more men, Kazekage-sama?"

It was about the fifth time Gaara had heard that question today. "My siblings will be fine," he replied coldly, ushering the small crowd of officials away, "The request was to take an escort of no more than two, as usual, and there is no one I work with better than Kankurou and Temari."

"But Kazekage-sama…"

"No buts!" Kankurou strode out of the doorway to the administration tower, adjusting his heavy burden of puppet scrolls. He was an established master of the puppet fighting techniques by now, a skill honed in Suna that was not to be underestimated, as many long-dead enemies had learned to their peril. "Gaara hardly needs any protecting after all – or did you think that had changed?" Something about the stern look in his eyes sent them scurrying back into the tower like apologetic little mice.

"Temari is waiting by the village gates," Kankurou informed his younger brother, as he checked some of the straps on its shoulders. "There were some reports she wanted to go over with some of the guards or something. To confirm security conditions, I think."

"And I thought I had just heard you say I didn't need such special arrangements," Gaara sighed, briefly adjusting his gourd and re-checking his pack more out of habit than necessity.

Kankurou shrugged. "You don't," he replied, turning to his brother, "But you know Temari. She's our sister. She worries."

Gaara nodded, striding out towards the gates in the confident knowledge that Kankurou would be beside him. "It always pays to be prudent, I suppose," he iterated with the sophisticated tone of someone displaying a world of patience with his older sister, but then he only did so because he trusted her judgement implicitly.

"Hn," Kankurou concurred in much the same tone, falling into step at Gaara's side. There was no rivalry between them, nor had there ever been. Gaara was in command and Kankurou supported him, with the greatest of affection, from the side. This was odd, because the muscular brunette was without question the elder of the two. With an age gap of two years, he even looked much more the man beside his sixteen-year-old brother. Still Gaara just seemed to have a knack for being in command. He was a natural-born leader, both able to control others through fear – as he had done for many years in their childhood – or, as he had proven in recent years, through inspiring extreme respect and loyalty. People naturally flocked to him these days and people many, many years his senior looked up to him for guidance, not just Kankurou. "So another meeting of the five Kages, huh?" the elder brother continued jovially, "Think there'll be anything interesting to discuss?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "We're at war," he retorted grimly, "There's always something important to discuss."

"You don't have to remind _me_!" Kankurou laughed, slapping his brother's shoulder lightheartedly, as they turned into a familiar sandy side street that served as a convenient shortcut, "We've been working our butts off for ages. It's not like we've been home five minutes and we're already off again. I'm just grateful it's not another battle."

"The current lull in the fighting worries me," Gaara confided, jerking off his brother's hand and facing him with a sombre expression, "It makes me wonder what Madara is planning."

"Spoken like a true Commander General," Kankurou sighed, rolling his eyes towards the sky, "I can see you're going to be a lot of fun on this journey. I'm worried too – more than just worried – but standing around brooding won't help either. Best we can do is keep ourselves prepared and ready for anything – and let's hope you and the other Kages come with something at this meeting."

"Let's hope," Gaara agreed, turning away from his brother. Despite the heavy, laden feeling in his heart, there was something of a smile tugging at his features and he didn't want Kankurou to notice it. "You also speak like a true squad leader, which reminds me that I should put Temari in any position requiring more independent thought."

"You little git," Kankurou snarled, playfully swiping the air over his brother's red hair. Gaara not only made no attempt to dodge this, he didn't even alter his footing, but there was a blatant grin on his face when he turned back to face his brother.

It was returned with interest. "So where's this place we're going to?" Kankurou demanded as they drew level with the gate.

"The Mind country," snapped a feminine voice ahead of them. Temari emerged, a small speck from the shadows of the colossal stone village walls, energetically waving a half opened scroll at her brothers. "Seriously Kankurou! Do you ever bother to prepare for a mission?"

"Only when I don't have you to do it for me," Kankurou replied smugly, and oddly truthfully, folding his arms and grinning at her. He then had to duck to avoid the scroll she hurled at him.

Straightening her black kimono and her frizzy blonde hair in its usual assortment of four short ponytails, she mustered up a semblance of dignity as she eyed the older of her two brothers with mounting vexation. Gaara merely glanced impassively at the pair of them, and settled himself against a nearby house as he waited for them to finish their dispute; apparently idly counting birds in the sky.

"The Mind country," she enlightened him coolly, folding her own arms, "Is a ninja country not far from the Water country, consisting of a group of tightly entwined islands and promontory from the nearby continent. Traditionally they were allies of sorts, but relationships became a little strained in recent years, especially during the purge of ninja blood clans. The Mind prides itself on its long lineage of historical blood limit jutsus; the Water, as you know, nearly eradicated all of its own."

Kankuro nodded. "I remember that," he straightened up, "So you say they have a Hidden Village? Is it any good with all those blood jutsus?"

Gaara shifted. His attention suddenly shifted back to the conversation in front of him and he gave his sister a meaningful look. She caught his expression and nodded briefly.

"More than good," she told Kankurou, "Although they maintain reasonable relations with the powerful Water country, they have a long history of war with some of their lesser neighbours and, frankly, they nearly eradicated them. Their only real rival is the island that makes up the Steel and Granite country, with which they've had a long series of bitter wars. At the moment though, they're at peace and have been for over five years now."

"So why the hell are we going to a bunch of military, testy and yet apparently still peaceful islands in the first place?" Kankurou groaned, shaking his head and scratching his scalp, "It's flippin' miles away!"

"Because we've seen some evidence of Akatsuki activity in that area and the five Kages wish to combine to investigate," Gaara informed him, kicking off from his wall and starting off through the long canyon-like gully that made the entrance and exit to Suna village. "We'll be heading towards the Hidden Mind village and hopefully from there arrange a meeting closer to the actual scene of inquiry. Understood?"

"Sure," Kankurou replied as he and Temari fell into step behind Gaara. "Probable wild goose chase in the middle of nowhere with the five most powerful shinobi in existence. Got it."


	3. Chapter 2b

Temari took a long swing from her water canister, eyeing her two younger brothers carefully. She tried to remember why they had decided to go by sea. It had something to do with speed, there was a major shipping route in this area, with fast ships heading towards the land of Mind all the time. Also there had been the fact that they were more likely to bump into representatives from Konoha this way, which was what had made Gaara's mind up. Apparently he had something he wanted to discuss with them before the meeting.

His sister strongly suspected what he really sought after was news about Naruto. His meeting the blonde Konoha ninja had been turning point in Gaara's life and he was nothing if not obsessive about his first real friend. It was understandable though. When your best friend is being targeted by an organisation that nearly managed to kill you, you do tend to worry.

They hadn't had the pleasure of hearing much from Konoha so far though, even when they crossed through the Fire Country, which was a little odd. The hidden village itself would have been out of their way, but from what they had gathered from a few passing shinobi the Hokage had already left and nobody seemed to know much of Naruto's current whereabouts at all. It was classified information, although one of the Ninja had joked that they merely had to wait a few months and they would probably hear all about it anyway. Usumaki Naruto was to secrets what a kettle full of wet slime was to a hearth fire – an extinguishing agent.

Still, taking the longer land-locked route might have been better for all of them. Gaara was sitting with his legs and hands folded and his eyes closed on the main bridge, looking thoroughly stiff and unapproachable. To the casual observer he might have come across as aloof and ill-tempered, but Temari who knew him well could see that he was really just miserable. The wet, salty air would be making his customary layer of sand armour clammy and uncomfortable and the constant swaying of the ship was clearly not agreeing with him. Kankurou was unashamedly seasick, hanging over the side of the ship with a handkerchief pressed to his forehead by one pale hand, occasionally arching his shoulders and back and making unpleasant retching noises. Temari wasn't feeling much better herself. The pit of her stomach seemed to be comfortably loose and lurchy, but she had given in yet and she wasn't about to.

Gritting her teeth, she stowed herself between two of the cargo crates strapped to the deck and closed her own eyes, pressing a hand over her clenched up forehead as she drew her knees to her chest. She had been on ships before. Not very often admittedly, but it had occasionally been necessary in the course of duty. The Wind Country was mostly arid land dominated by desert, but it did have a very large sea border as well which occasionally needed to be patrolled. Still, she had never been on a voyage this bad before. Apparently the sea here was particularly rough and full of strong treacherous currents. The captain had assured her it would be fine. If this really was 'fine', then she would hate to be crossing on a bad day.

Pressing her knuckles deeper into her forehead, she took several deep breaths to steady herself. By the early hours of tomorrow, a mere eighteen hours from now, it would all be over and done with and they would have arrived in Seishin country, the country of the Mind.


	4. Chapter 2c

Seishin greeted them with a cold, muggy version of daybreak. Light trickled past mounds of dark gray cloud and mist as if it wasn't sure it belonged there. It had rained recently and the taste of it still mingled in the air with the strong salt of the sea. The docks though were a hive of activity. Large cranes swung their arms out towards the arriving ships long before they even had time to get themselves properly anchored. Big flashes of artificial yellow light sprang from opening and closing doors and windows up ahead. People rushed back and forth like ants, climbing up gangplanks and leaping onto decks, pulling carts and trolleys across piers and into warehouses. Goods were loaded, unloaded, checked and reloaded all over the place. Giant boxes and crates travelled across from one end of the pier to the other so fast that it was hard to keep track. Their captain barely had a moment to see his distinguished ninja guests off the ship, before he was called away to deal with the loading of new cargo and even Gaara, who normally made something of an impact in any crowd, passed unnoticed and faded into the background like so much scenery. The three of them stood together near their former transport's bustling gangplanks, alone and slightly jostled, staring out into the chaotic hive of worker insects like newly hatched larvae, momentarily forlorn and unattended.

There was a bump as someone jumped down from a nearby crane. A figure appeared beside them, tall gangly and clad in black with a mess of wavy brown hair and a beaming smile.

"O'Kazekage-sama, I presume?" he offered, bowing politely in front of Gaara, "My name is Ren. I'm one of Seishingakure's top jounin and here to be your escort to our village, with your permission of course." The man, who had proclaimed himself as 'Seishingakure's top jounin Ren', straightened and continued to smile at them, offering a hand.

Temari was impressed, despite herself. Ren had evidently done his homework, as he could not only recognise Gaara and go straight to him, but showed no surprise at all at such a youthful Kazekage. His smile was welcoming, but his tone was deeply respectful as he addressed the leader of one of the five great shinobi nations.

"I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," Gaara replied, stepping forward taking the offered hand and carefully scrutinising the newcomer. He was a few years older even than Temari and not half as gangly as he had appeared at first glance. Definite toned muscle peeked from beneath his loose fitting black garb and green vest. The hair was unnoticeably unruly and fell all over his Seishin forehead protector, and there was just a trace of stubble over his very square-looking jaw. His nose had a bump on it where it had obviously been broken at some point and his eyes had a few premature lines around them, traces of a life as an active shinobi.

"Oh," Ren laughed good-naturedly, as he let go and gestured vaguely towards a large street between some of the warehouses and some office buildings, evidently the direction they were meant to take, "Not half as much as I am to meet the Commander General of Ninja Alliance army. You must be a phenomenal chakra user to move so much sand at once. It's really quite an honour."

He bowed again before turning to the remaining two companions. "These would be your siblings, Temari-san and Kankurou-san, unless I am much mistaken? Delighted to meet you. We hear quite some stories of the pair of you as well." Kankurou looked quite surprised at this, but Ren just gestured vaguely in the direction of the distant street, "Please come this way. My team are waiting at one of the nearby inns – the only thing open at this hour – and no doubt you care to rest and refresh yourself a little after such a long journey." He stepped to one side, allowing Gaara to take the lead.

"Time is of the essence," Gaara pronounced, as Ren fell naturally into step beside him, ready to indicate the way, "It's important to get this started as soon as possible."

"Of course," his companion agreed, carefully signalling to two people maneuvering a wagon so that their little party could pass unhindered. "But it seems to me like your two companions are both tired and hungry. The inn happens to offer an extensive breakfast spread … and there are showers available…"

There was an appreciative grunt from Kankurou behind them. "Fine," Gaara sighed, casting a glance back at his siblings, "As long as it doesn't take too long." Kankurou grinned happily, rubbing his hands and stretching.

Ren nodded. "I shouldn't expect so." He waved a greeting towards a few straggling workers by a streetlamp as the passed out from the docks into the quiet early morning street. They gestured back enthusiastically.

That was the strange thing Temari had noticed as she had walked, a few paces behind Kankurou, her hands firmly in her pockets, trying to steady herself now she was back on land. The people on the dock passed around them as oblivious as flies, and even Gaara – capable of turning a few heads through his sheer air of indomitable power – went unnoticed, but not Ren. People stopped for him, doffing their hats and saluting him as he passed. Rushing wagons slowed or halted to let him through. Workers, to whom they had been invisible five minutes before, looked up and called, 'Good Morning'. As they passed it was to a constant series of hurried glances, whispers and grunted _Ren-sama_s. Whoever Ren was he was clearly someone held in great respect around here.

Not that he seemed especially aware of it. His replies were friendly, innocuous and straightforward; freely enthusiastic as he gave replying nods and waves even to those he didn't seem to know very well. His main attention remained always on his guests and on Gaara, who he seemed to respect as a superior officer despite the age gap, as he made polite inquiries regarding how they had found the voyage and whether there was anything they needed. Not that he was sucking up either; he was just confident, relaxed and secure in himself, as if he was among equals. He probably really was a top Jounin in his village, Temari decided as she watched him, and one high-ranking enough not to need to prove it anymore at that.

The street they had turned into looked as if it was one of the city's main commercial ones. Soft curves of provincial architecture revealed the darkened shop displays and lonely shop signs of a high street before business hours, abandoned in the artificial streetlight. Odd bits of paper and other bits of litter occasionally fluttered passed, revealing some of the activity of the day and night before. It was too early even for any street cleaners to be about to prepare the place for another day of commerce.

When Ren indicated the inn ahead of them, it was scarcely a necessary action. With its softly curving partitioned windows brightly lit, it was the only sign of life in the otherwise muggy gloom. Kankurou strode forward, overtaking Gaara to open the door. An immediate wave of warmth washed over him after the cold of the docks. The innkeeper glanced up and smiled, vaguely indicating a booth were several other Ninja seemed to waiting.

Ren laughed, coming up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Well then," he grinned, catching Kankurou's eye, "Shall we get started?"


	5. Chapter 3a

**Chapter 3**

_He had thought he could forget her. He really had. There had been others since her and some of them had been… well… nice. He even thought he might have felt something for one or two of them, as they had for him, but none of them were like her. She only had to look at him and he was there all of over again, feeling it all over again. For him, it was like there wasn't another woman in the world. Not really. Not in that way. She amazed him; tantalised him; burned inside him like a fire and ate him from the inside out – and she didn't even notice him. It was maddening._

* * *

Breakfast had been extraordinary and so had the showers. A young Seishin genin, introduced as Rina, had been in charge of seeing they got whatever they wanted and she did a first class job. Kankurou actually had to stop the poor girl from running off into the kitchens to arrange a roast goose when he asked for one for a laugh. Ren had jokingly admitted that a simple escort mission like this was seen as the perfect chance to let the genin 'out for air' hence their excessive keenness. This had earned him a supposedly surreptitious raspberry from Rina; something that had in turn earned her a playful cuff round the ear and ruffled hair from her 'Ren-sensei'.

It seemed there were quite a few genin in Seishin in need of such an 'airing'. Three others served in the party, all hardly older than Rina and all obvious recent graduates. Ren seemed to have developed a habit of sending them off to scout ahead or locate menial – and usually superfluous – resources or secure positions of tactical advantage, all for the apparent sake of advancing their training. The real escort team seemed to consist of Ren and a pretty female chuunin of around Gaara's age by the name of Momoka.

She was a slight little thing, tanned with big brown eyes and a mane of shaggy dark hair, who seemed a little shy of all of them. Generally she fluttered around behind Ren like a second shadow, but more than once Temari caught her staring at Gaara when she thought he wasn't looking.

This lasted until Ren, tiring of nearly tripping over her every five minutes, teasingly offered her to the Kazekage as his personal assistant for the duration of his stay. Gaara – confused and apparently oblivious to the hidden meaning behind the suggestion – declined this, saying he didn't need one, and poor Momoka flushed a bright shade of beetroot and practically hid behind her sensei for the remainder of the morning.

The port city, when they left it, fell away from them as a myriad of dark blue, brown and white hugging the seashore. It was a beautiful place now that it was fully revealed in the sunlight, with slate roofs, crisscrossing wooden beams and a mass of sweeping, flower-hung, balconies, but it was nothing when compared with the rest of Seishin. Huge granite and schist mountains towered into the clear cerulean sky, covered by century-old forests and rivers. You could be walking up a steep forest hill one minute with giant tree trunks to either side of you and the next be looking down into a sheer river gully, many miles deep and full of swirling rapids and waterfalls. Thick arcs of dappled green and sharp precipices of sparkling gray soared up ahead of them, but when you glanced below it was down onto a languid rocky coastline and billowing blue-green sea.

For just a moment, Temari felt her breath taken away as they proceeded up the wide mountain road that lead away from the coastal city. "Is this one of your main cities?" she inquired, catching up with Ren who was dispatching genin near the front of the troop, "It all seems so wild."

"This is our major shipping port," he confirmed, pausing in the middle of an argument with a disgruntled thirteen year old male, "And one of our largest cities. It seems a bit rural, but two of our largest industrial centres are actually reasonably close by and the Hidden Village, our destination, is just two days in this direction. And Kieran, I don't give a damn if you'd rather be doing something more interesting, at the moment our mission is to guard the Kazekage from any possible threat and that includes the risk of an Akatsuki ambush in these woods. You and Haruki have the east, Rina and Nero have the west and I'll see all of you again to report to me in about four hours. Now get." With that Kieran and his fellow malcontent were forced to depart, but not without a shady glance or two back at their unimpressed sensei.

Kankurou paused just ahead of them, slightly puzzled by what he had just heard. "What are the actual chances of an Akatsuki attack here?" he demanded, turning to Ren.

"Slim to nil," Ren replied laughing, "Our defensive systems are extremely tight. At least, they've never been breached to date and Akatsuki have very little reason to try just at the moment."

"Which is why the genin're so unhappy," Momoka put in, appearing in her usual place just two steps behind Ren, a mess of dark hair and oversized black garb. She appeared to be fiddling with a large satchel, swung over her back.

"But it never hurts to be cautious," Ren sighed, leading onwards with a wave of his hand. Gaara was already waiting for them several meters ahead; a silent ominous statue with a large urn, folded arms and a highly impatient expression.

"What he means," Momoka murmured, glancing shyly up at the sand siblings as she, Kankurou and Temari followed behind him, "Is that it never hurts to give the genin something to do... somewhere we aren't."

Apparently she hadn't been quiet enough, because Ren glanced back over his shoulder to add, "If they're training then they can't get in the way and if they can't get in the way, then they'll probably stay alive." He shrugged and stared hard at the group behind him, as he finished, "If they're alive and well-trained, then they might actually be of some use when they're needed."

"A very prudent attitude," Temari laughed, moving to walk alongside him, "I should try that next time I'm training at the academy."

Ren glanced at her and smirked. "The added bonus," he confided, leaning towards her, "Is that if they're off training somewhere else, then you don't have to spend as much time around irritating children."

Temari raised her eyebrows. "You find them annoying?"

"You haven't meet our genin," Ren grunted, winking.

"Actually," Kankurou put in, drawing closer to the pair of them just as they caught up with Gaara, "Thanks to your policy of dragging them along wherever you go, I believe we just have – and I agree with you." He rolled his eyes; his black cat-eared hood shaking back a little as he did so.

"Those are only four," Ren grinned, quickening the pace in line with the Kazekage's obvious wishes, "We've got a whole lot more waiting at the Ninja village."

"Charming," Kankurou grumbled.


	6. Chapter 3b

_Bang!_ Smash! Naruto went spinning through the tree branches. _Crash!_ He found himself lying flat on his back on the middle of the worn earth road. A small cloud of billowing dust was settling around all him. Naruto sneezed. His rump ached where he had hit it on a stone or something. He keeled over, rolling unto his front with his knees pressed under him. "Owww-ow-ow-ow-owwwwww!"

"You should be more careful," a voice giggled behind him. He pushed his hands out beneath him, raising his head enough to squint through the multiple stars he was seeing in the direction of the voice.

It was a woman, some years older than him, sitting just above him. _Sitting?_ They were on a road, weren't they? He sat up and peered more closely at the speaker. _Ah._ She was in a wheelchair. It wasn't your average, straight-out-of-a-hospital job either. This was an ornate old-fashioned wickerwork affair with lavishly embroidered cushions that, had it not been pinned to a giant pair of wheels or been located outside in the middle of a major mountain road, would have looked right at home in a posh country summerhouse.

Konoha's most maladroit blonde ninja flashed her a very awkward smile. "Sorry Nee-san," he laughed, "I was doing this super-awesome S-rank special jutsu and I… I guess I lost control a bit." He glanced sheepishly at his feet.

The Nee-san just smiled back, tucking a strand of long brown hair behind her ear. "I can see." She leant forward in her chair and tucked a hand under his armpit, placing the other under the opposite arm, so she could help pull him to his feet. Her face was what Naruto would have described as 'average looking' had he been asked by any of his male friends; a small straight nose over a rounded, squareish chin and lined eyes with traces of dark bags under them. Not that he could see much of her eyes as her oversized fringe and long straight hair were in the way. She was wearing a pink dress, with a large purple flower pattern plastered all over it. It would have been low cut, but an equally purple shirt beneath it kept it tame. From his vantage point he could see she probably had a decent rack too, but he couldn't check out any more of what the late Ero-sennin would have called her 'vital statistics' because of the large fluffy blankets tucked neatly over her lower half.

"Looks like you may need a little more practice." She winked, dusting down his orange and black jumpsuit as best she could, as he straightened himself to an upright stance.

"Yeah, guess so," Naruto smirked back, pushing her away gratefully. He winced at the pain in his back. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She shook her head. "No, you missed me by miles," she told him with a smirk almost as large as his own, "If that's what you were aiming for then I suggest you head back to Konoha for a refresher course." She wagged a finger in the approximate direction of the sea. For a moment, Naruto looked confused, but then the woman tapped her forehead gently and he groaned inwardly at his own stupidity. Of course, she had seen the symbol engraved on his protector.

"Don't worry, Nee-san," he informed her, posturing slightly with his hands on his hips, "We Konoha ninja are the most reliable and trustworthy of the lot. We never harm innocent civilians. I'm gonna be the Hokage someday, so I should know, _dattebayo_." He slapped his fist against his chest. The strange verbal tic that characterised his excitement, and sometimes anger, was particularly loud in his enthusiasm.

The woman chuckled. "I don't doubt it," she replied, spinning her hand slightly, "Now turn around, future-Hokage-sama, and let me take a look at that bruise on your back." He did so, blushing slightly as she pushed up his top for him.

"Impressive. I think we could map out a continent or something on the size of this," he heard her say, just as he felt something cold press tightly just over the hot stinging area in the small of his back. It felt amazing on his injured flesh. "All done," she told him, pushing him away gently.

He turned round, beaming as he adjusted his clothing again. "Thanks, Nee-san. You're awesome!"

"You're just lucky I always carry a first aid kit with me," she answered, carefully closing a little green box on her lap and stowing it away in a small leather pouch under the elongated arches of her armrests.

Several minutes later, he and Nee-'sama' found themselves squatting on a patch of grass just off the road in the shade of a massive mountain oak, sharing the contents of her packed lunch. Small patches of fresh gold danced softly across their feet and the lady's blankets playing a strange game of hide-and-seek, as she unearthed Tupperware box after Tupperware box from the multitude of bags and pouches attached to her wheelchair. Evidently she had just been food shopping somewhere, though where in this endless wilderness she had found a shop was beyond the Konoha ninja.

"So anyway, I said they couldn't let me not come when its about me and I sneaked on board the nearest ship and well… here I am," Naruto finished, stuffing another sandwich into his face as he finished a lengthy monologue on what was more-or-less his entire life history. He wiped some crumbs from his face with the back of his hand.

The Nee-san chuckled, pushing back some of the hair from her face again, as she opened a box of mandarins and offered him one. "Indeed, so now you're here on your way to Seishingakure?" She winked, delicately breaking open the skin of one of the fruits for herself as she took care to keep the peel and skin within the container on her lap.

"Well yeah," Naruto replied, pausing in the disembowelling of his own mandarin to look up at her, "How did you know?"

His companion glanced down at him and sighed deeply. "Because this is the main road from the port to the hidden village. Unless you know the hidden forest trails the way we locals do it's pretty much useless for getting anywhere else – and I very much doubt you're heading back out to sea with the five Kage conference happening here. That is why you're here, right?" she jibed coolly before popping a mandarin segment into her mouth. "Of course, you just be highly directionally challenged and on your way to Sycamore city," she added after a few moments, grinning down at him, "But… I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt."

"Where's Sycamore city?" Naruto asked, chewing on a slightly bitter fruit segment. He wiped some of the juices from his fingers on the grass.

"About four islands away," she retorted, tossing him another mandarin and a napkin.

Naruto sniggered, rubbing the cloth between his hands. "You sure know a lot, Nee-san."

"So I should," she replied, shaking her head, "I'm from Seishingakure myself. Obviously." She winked and smiled, brushing some of her hair from her face.

A scream echoed down the mountain road; a woman's scream. Naruto jumped up. The fruit fell forgotten onto the mounds of brown earth beside the road. He panicked. One hand reaching for his weapon's pouch, the other waving frantically through the air as he started out of his seat and down the road – away from the voice.

The woman sighed and carefully fastened the Tupperware on her lap, ready to stow it away again. "Friend of yours?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else.


	7. Chapter 3c

"_Naruto!_"

A murder was about to happen, right there on the main road to Seishingakure. It was even starting to draw a crowd. As the day wore on, traffic on the main road had started to pick up. Carts loaded with goods and supplies trundled up and down the highway alone or in pairs and several of them were now parked squarely across the turning in the road, their animals grazing on tufts of grass by the fringe of the road and their drivers perched across their seats, craning their necks and apparently enjoying the free show. The driver who had been the recent transport of the would-be murderer was particularly prominent, his back erect and his arms and legs folded except when he gestured for the attention of acquaintances. Apparently he felt like he owned some part of this spectacle. So he should. The two oxen that pulled his cargo of heavy boxes were panting in exhaustion, not even bothering with the grass as they stood gasping for their breath back. Apparently they had recently been driven very hard.

"Naruto! Naruto! Naruto! Naruto! _Na~ru~to!_"

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto began, and then thought better of it. The black and orange jumpsuit cowering as he found himself inching backwards away from his irate team-mate, he realised that whatever he did say was only likely to hasten his demise.

"Naruto!" Sakura, Konoha's foremost trainee in medical ninjutsu, had still failed to regain her mastery of proper speech. Instead she stood there, a quivering mess of rage from head to toe. Her clenched fists shook at her sides and every muscle across her face seemed to be working into a life of its own. "Naruto!"

"Sakur…" Despite himself the response slipped out. A fist swung in his direction and he barely found time to duck and roll. Behind him, the ground mushroomed into a giant cloud as a second punch smashed into the spot he had been mere seconds before.

"Sakura," he breathed, a desperate plea in his voice as he inched backwards on his knees, "Sakura-chan." A leg struck out and he dodged again, missing the impact by a hair's breath.

A fist drew back, his eyes widened and then it happened. Even as he darted to evade the blow, Sakura caught him full on in the stomach. Urgh. His intestines splattered all over his spine and kidneys. Air leapt out of his lungs and half his insides seemed to go with it. Wood splintered all across his back. Animals screamed…. And then suddenly there he was… floating in midair… floating… falling…

Something caught around his ankle. He spun like a marionette at the mercy of gravity with its firm grip on the rest of him. Glancing up he saw an arm… a face? Hair? Gravity jolted his head back down and he finally seemed to slow in his pendular motion. The vast expanse of a giant precipice opened up below him. Woods, trees, green… many, many miles below… The ox cart with which he had collided toppled down below him: animals braying… the driver screaming… Sakura was screaming above him too. She hadn't intended this.

Then a giant yellow white cloud seemed to open up below the cart and its cargo, cocooning them, swallowing them… _Sand._ It was sand, Naruto realised as it floated up towards him. Someone was controlling sand. He glanced up at a familiar female smile and then… the pressure on his ankle released. He fell just a few meters into the soft sand cushion. Turning in its grainy embrace, he tried to look up once more… but blackness overtook him…


	8. Chapter 3d

Sakura was crying. She was crying so hard that several hot wet tears fell right down onto Naruto's face. As his vision slowly swam back into focus, her cute round face with its oversized forehead and huge round eyes was all he could see. It was screwed up, with her pale hands industriously wiping the moisture from her cheeks as sob after sob seemed to overtake her.

"Sakura-chan," he breathed, unsteadily reaching up to move a strand of pale pink hair out of her face. There was so much noise around them he could barely hear her voice, but just at that moment he didn't care about anything else.

Immediately she tensed up. Her sobs stilled and she peered down through her fingers at her team-mate's blinking face. "Naruto? _Naruto?_" she gasped, kneeling close over his face to be sure, "You're alive? You're okay?" Her hands flew from her cheeks to his chest and arms, probing him and prodding him as if to make sure he was real.

"Yeah," he murmured, still slightly groggy, "I'm okay."

She hit him; hard in the ribs at that. Apparently having failed to nearly die is a good reason to hit someone.

"Sakura-chan!" he wheezed, keeling over onto his side, "Urgh! Maybe I'm not okay…" He avoided a second blow, to his arm this time, and sat up. Grateful as Sakura's hands ceased their investigation of him, harmful or otherwise.

"You!" she hissed, apparently crying and grinning at the same time, as she wiped the remaining tears from her face and readjusted her hair, "Do you have any idea how worried I was? When you took off from Konoha like that…? We were supposed to be on a mission! And then I find you and you nearly die…"

"Because you nearly killed him."

Naruto got hit for this – a hard blow to the shoulder that nearly sent him face first into the ground again had he not managed to catch himself on one of his hands. It was a little unfair given that he hadn't in fact made the offending comment.

As this dawned on her, Sakura looked up to see Temari leaning nonchalantly on her fan and gazing down at the pair of them with an expression that was unusually stern even for her. Naruto pulled himself back upright and rubbed his forehead with the back of a hand, glancing around.

He was still on the turning in the road that had nearly been his last. Now that he had time to look more closely he realised that one half of it did in fact overlook a steep drop into some kind of a valley. There was a small slatted wooden fence to prevent accidents, but a large section of it was now missing and broken. Presumably, in her anger, Sakura had unleashed a chakra-loaded punch that had sent him flying straight into one of the spectating carts and thrust all of them – cart, animals and all – straight through the barrier into the sheer deadly abyss.

The unfortunate cart driver was now safely yelling his head off at a tall male ninja Naruto didn't recognise (Ren, though Naruto couldn't know it). It didn't look like the strange ninja was having much of an easy job calming the man. Nearly becoming collateral damage seemed to have left him with an overwhelming urge to shout at somebody, anybody, to express his rage and frustration and well… shock, probably – and his other cart driving friends were eagerly joining in the outrage. It looked like the strange ninja had a near riot on his hands.

Naruto noticed someone who looked suspiciously like Kankurou next to the confusion; helping as only Kankurou would handle a delicate and tensely emotional situation. By standing there with an uncomfortable expression on his face and generally looking as uninvolved as he could, merely shrugging and maybe offering the odd grunt when called upon for an opinion.

The pair of frightened animals, nearly as hysterical as their owner, seemed to have been handed over to the care of a pretty, young, frizzy-haired female chunnin (Momoka), who was now being practically hoisted off her feet by an angry bucking ox. She was being observed, presumably with some thought towards aid although there didn't seem to be much forthcoming at that particular moment, by a stoic red-haired ninja of Naruto's age with a large gourd on his back. 'Gaara,' the blonde realised, and was about to wave and call him, when another thought struck him.

"Where's Nee-san?" he demanded, looking around in confusion, "She saved me, didn't she? I want to thank her!"

"Who?" Sakura asked turning away from her non-conversation with Temari in surprise, "What Nee-san?"

"Nee-san," Naruto elaborated unhelpfully, waving his hands wildly around his head to indicate some meaning, "Wheelchair Nee-san! She caught me when I was falling!" His eyes met Sakura's with an intense stare, expecting her to understand.

Slowly Sakura shook her head. Her expression looked blank and confused. "There's no Nee-san here," she explained, "It's just us and the drivers."

A hand patted Naruto's shoulder gently. Temari had knelt beside him with a concerned look in her eyes. "Gaara saved you," she told him cautiously, "He used his sand." Evidently she thought he was still affected by the fall.

"No," Naruto shook his head passionately, shaking Temari's hand from his shoulder as he turned to her, "I saw her! I saw Nee-san! I know I did!"

An almost too quiet footfall interrupted their conversation, although such a thing would probably have been impossible for anyone else. Gaara's sheer presence let them know he had arrived next to them. Alerted by the sound of his name, he had discerned that Naruto was awake and had come to check up on his friend, leaving Momoka alone to fight a battle he had no idea how to help with anyway. She seemed to have gotten some control over the beasts as it was; at least they were no longer throwing her around. The humans were still making as much noise as ever and Ren looked like he was slowly losing to the sheer volume of their indignity and outrage.

Suna's Kazekage stared awkwardly down at his dearest friend, dishevelled blonde and orange lump that he was, sprawled out on the ground between the two girls. "You shouldn't be here," he told him with obvious discomfort that was more a by-product of his social ineptitude than the bizarreness of the situation.

Naruto peered up at his friend, the one he had willingly fought and offered his life for. He scratched the back of his messy blonde head and grinned, "Hi Gaara!"

The Kazekage considered this as a response; then he nodded. "Hello Naruto."


	9. Chapter 3e

"So what are you doing here?" Naruto demanded, running to catch up with Gaara as the little party set off again. It had taken quite a while before Ren had sorted out the bottleneck of angry drivers and cleared up the resulting congestion allowing them to travel onwards. Sakura had apologised over and over again, repeatedly offering her medical ninjutsu for the affected parties. They hadn't exactly needed it. Really no one was suffering from anything more than shock, but that wasn't exactly the point.

Sakura couldn't believe she had done something so stupid. It was a level of incompetence that was otherwise uncharacteristic of the meticulous and thoughtful ninja. She trailed along behind the group, her hands buried in her small off-white apron skirt and her pink head bowed low over her red top. It was inexcusable. She should have checked for civilians before hitting Naruto. She should have been paying more attention to her surroundings and seen that cliff. Okay, maybe, just maybe, she ought not to have hit him in the first place – but, seriously, he deserved it! He always deserved it. Honestly, he did so many stupid things she was sure she was going to be a wrinkly old lady long before her time. That stupid, stupid Naruto – what was it about him that got her so worked up? If only she could figure it out. Then maybe she could take a chill pill and ignore him like the rest of the world seemed to – and when she talked about taking medication she meant that literally. Sakura kicked a small granite pebble out of her path and 'accidentally' caught Naruto on the back of his shins.

"Oww!" Naruto yelped, clutching his leg. Gaara turned slightly out of concern, the grayish backdrop of the mountain behind him making his hair look almost aflame in the dimming mountain light. The Konoha ninja barely seemed bothered by the incident though, hobbling towards Gaara to continue his pestering. "So, why're you here, _dattebayo_?"

"That's a stupid question, Naruto, and you know it," Temari sighed, interrupting them as she swept her arms back to adjust her hair over her enormous fan. "Obviously, we're here for the Five Kage conference." Not five paces ahead of them, she had been conversing quietly with an exhausted Ren about various political matters regarding that very subject.

"That's the conference you're not invited to," Kankurou added with smirking pseudo-helpfulness just in case Naruto had forgotten. The older sand shinobi had fallen into step not far behind his younger brother and their friend, Momoka's heavy satchel swung over his shoulder along with his own burden of scrolls and puppets. The genin were back too and the poor chunnin had found herself head shepherdess of a flock of bleating little goats, confused by the delay and the extra people. Given the circumstances, Kankurou had decided to be a gentleman and carry her bag for her while she vainly tried to restore order, hampered by a natural shyness that was never going to be effective at getting herself through to a group of mainly male twelve to thirteen year olds.

"I don't see why," Naruto snapped back, shaking his head at the puppet-master, "It's about me, isn't it?" He folded his arms defiantly walking backwards to glare at Kankurou.

"It's not just about the Jinchuuriki," Gaara corrected his friend, making a very clumsy attempt to place a consolatory hand on his shoulder. Having been the host of a many-tailed beast of chakra himself until quite recently he had more cause than most to be sympathetic to Naruto's feelings. "We've received reports of enemy activity in this area and we're investigating…"

"So it's about Madara then, _'tebayo_?" Naruto growled, his eyes narrowing as he turned on Gaara, "And you think that's got nothing to do with me? He's got Sasuke, hasn't he? _Dattebayo_!" At the mention of the S-word, Sakura's head snapped up. She pushed through the teeming young genin, anxious for further information.

"There's nothing to suggest Sasuke's anywhere near here," Temari groaned, jerking her hands violently to indicate her point. She hadn't quite resorted to Naruto's tactics of reversed walking, the dirt road was much too stony and uneven for her to want to attempt such a thing, but if she twisted her waist much further she was likely to do herself an injury. Beside her, Ren was only paying nominal attention to the conversation. His eyes were drooping a little and his gaze fixed on the road. It seemed he had been put through quite enough for one day without worrying about the intentions of a couple of stray Konoha shinobi. The Kazekage and his ninja clearly knew and trusted them and the rest would probably be sorted out at the hidden village. For now, that was enough for him.

"There's nothing to suggest Madara's around here either really," Temari continued, apparently still trying to talk some sense into Naruto, "It's just an investigation that into some activity that we think might throw up some leads…"

"If it's big enough for the five Kages it's big enough for us." At the mention of Sasuke's name Sakura had apparently switched sides. Far from bringing Naruto back to Konoha, presumably her original intention, it now seemed she was just as determined to stick around for the action as he was. She elbowed her way in front of Kankuro, determined to have her say, "If it might bring some leads on Madara, it might just bring some leads on finding Sasuke… and… and…" She paused unsure how to go on. Once a point a time that statement would have been followed by a confident 'and bringing him home' or 'and talking some sense into him', but now…

She glanced helplessly at Naruto, who smiled weakly back at her. Last time their infamous Team 7 of old had been 'reunited' as it were, her blonde companion had pronounced that his next fight with the runaway Uchiha would result in a battle to the death. She hated the very thought of that. Whatever happened, what she most wanted – what she would always want the most – was to protect her two original team mates and bring them both home safely.

"You two are just lucky we've decided to let you tag along in the first place," Kankurou muttered, nudging Sakura to one side of him so he could keep up with everyone else more easily, "At least as far as Seishingakure – then Tsunade can deal with you." Gaara nodded in silent agreement with his brother's words, re-folding his arms with an air of absolute finality that added to the conversation what he was not contributing verbally.

Sakura winced, shuddering. Whatever she just said, she doubted the Hokage was going to be overjoyed at seeing them. Ninja weren't exactly supposed to abandon missions and go off on little side quests of their own whenever they felt the urge to. Tsunade wasn't likely to go strictly by the book and start stripping their rank and status – besides she could be pretty tolerant towards Naruto in these things – but that didn't mean she couldn't turn violently nasty when she was angry. As her former pupil, Sakura had plenty of reason to know that well.

Naruto though didn't seem fazed by the impending meeting with the fifth Hokage; his attention seemed to have been caught by a different titbit of information. "Oh Seishingakure?" he laughed, waving a finger in Gaara's face as he remembered something, "That Nee-san said she was from there. Maybe I'll see her again."

"Oh for crying out loud," Sakura snapped distractedly, instantly ready to strangle her team mate once again, "Are you still going on about some stupid woman in a wheelchair? Don't we have more important stuff…"

She tailed off, aware that something was very wrong behind her. Her words appeared to have produced an effect that all of Momoka's shushing and reproaching and pleading could not. The genin were silent. They were also staring at her like she had just grown two heads.

"Did you just say you saw a lady in a wheelchair?" asked a stubby nosed genin youth with a plaster over one cheek, "It's not _her_, is it? You know, _that_ lady." He peered anxiously at Sakura, who just gaped back at him in blank amazement.

"Don't be silly," snapped the only female among the quartette – Rina, as the Sand Shinobi knew. "How could they know about _her_? They're not from around here, are they?" One slender youthful hand waved a gesture that seemed to encompass all their foreign visitors, who had by now also all turned to stare at the little group of genin in amazement.

"I thought everyone knew about her," another one, smaller than the others with messy dark hair and glasses, put in, "You know, she's…"

"That's enough," Momoka snapped, drawing the last speaker towards her like a protective mother hen, "Ren-sensei, I think you had better hear this."

He already had. Apparently now wide awake, Ren stood with both arms folded, giving Naruto's back a harsh, quizzical glare. It made the boy turn around just from the force of it.

"You say you met a woman in wheelchair," Ren demanded, waving a hand to for the Konoha guest elaborate before tucking it firmly back against his chest.

Naruto squinted at him. "Yeah, she was really nice," he shrugged, scratching his head as he recollected the encounter, "She gave me lunch and everything! Of course then Sakura…"

"Naruto says she saved his life during the fall," Sakura blurted quickly, stepping forward. "Of course," she tossed her hair back and smirked, "That's probably nonsense. Gaara..."

"Actually," Gaara put in. His face was as impassive as ever, but his head was tilted in interest, "I did feel someone else's chakra holding up the cart and its cargo. If they hadn't, I'm not sure I would have made it in time to recover anyone."

"You didn't mention that!" Temari cried, stepping towards her brother with outstretched arms. She looked unsure whether she wanted to grasp him close or shake him. The idea that he had felt an unknown person's chakra use and not done anything about it…

"Nobody asked," Gaara shrugged. He wasn't being facetious either. The information about Naruto being saved by a strange woman had completely passed him by as he had arrived just too late to get details of the conversation between his friend and the two kunoichi when the former was being tended back to consciousness.

"Are you nuts? That could have been anyone!" Kankurou was apparently as horrified as his sister, "What would you have done if that had been some kind of enemy?" He shook his hands at his younger brother, just as Temari gave up on touching him and ran hers over her tried-up hair instead. It seems like a thousand horrible scenarios were flashing through her mind.

Gaara frowned and just shook his head. "I didn't get that feeling," he told them calmly, "It just seemed… safe… somehow…"

"So she helped avert disaster and then vanished without so much as a by-your-leave. Just like her," Ren muttered, shaking his own head as he turned to Naruto, "What did you say the wheelchair looked like?"

Naruto squinted again. "It was kinda ancient-looking, _'ttebayo_," he murmured, thinking, "Like an antique. Made of like straw and stuff…"

Ren sighed, uncrossing his arms and running his hands over his face. "That's her alright. Although what she's doing way out here! She supposed to be at home."

"She's not going to come and get us, is she?" one of the genin, the first one to speak, wailed in horror, "She's not going to come here?"

"Of course not," Momoka hushed, "Ren-sensei and I wouldn't let…" She shut up, because Ren's gaze had just turned toxic and it was aimed at her.

"She's no threat to anyone," he snapped, still glaring. His hands had become fists at his sides. "Least of all, this mission and anyone here. Anyway, do you guys want to see Seishingakure?" He turned to towards his puzzled guests, smiling with a visible effort, "It's just down this hill."


	10. Chapter 3f

"Wow, _dattebayo_," Naruto breathed despite himself when he saw the city just a few minutes later, "It's huge! Bigger than Konoha even! You must have a ton of ninja!" Sakura had grabbed hold of one of his shoulders and was openly staring. Even Gaara, standing at the top of the steep hill, flanked by his siblings, with the increasing dusk spilling over his face and ninja uniform, seemed impressed. Ren was standing by the group from Suna, looking down at his home city with almost impassive eyes.

"Not really," Momoka giggled, leaning towards Naruto to point, "This is mostly just Seishin city, the capital. You see that walled complex in the middle there? That's the real Seishingakure, right in the centre."

The city itself was, as Naruto had described it, simply huge in comparison to the port they had been in not so long ago. Walled in by high granite on all sides, it consisted of rows of small provincial houses with arching slate roofs and masses of wooden beams, much like the ones down by the sea. Three large mainly earth-based roads swept upwards the city from three sides, the north, south and west (on which they were standing). The eastern side was almost entirely consumed by a giant granite mountain, with a few winding trails and the odd splattering of out-of-town houses leading up it. A river trickled down the side of the mountain, almost boycotting the city entirely as it slunk around just inside the southeastern city walls and then back out towards the south without much in the way of acknowledgment of the settlement there. The terrain on that side looked particularly rough, with a hilly wild-looking forest bearing almost up towards the gates, instead of the neatly plowed fields that seemed to dominate most of the nearby valley. There only seemed to be three large gates leading into the city, one for each of the three large roads that lead into it, and those highways remained just as straight and true inside the metropolis as without, leading without fail right up to the hidden village about, which they seemed to skirt in a large circle as if suddenly ashamed to go near it.

It looked, for lack of a better description, much like a western style castle – in fact that's exactly what it was, perfect to the nearest detail including a moat and four large drawbridges on all the main points of the compass. It was hard to see inside it though. Clearly those who built the place had been well aware of the vantages attackers might gain from the nearby mountains. They had conspired to build walls that were both thick and sturdy and also miraculously able to exclude all prying eyes from the hidden village. You could however see the inner walls, just about stretching beyond the outer ones somewhere towards the centre of the area and, inside those, the raised stone tower building that was the castle keep. It was ridiculously high. Presumably someone who bothered to climb to the top of one of its four main rounded turrets could see out over the entire city – though their limbs would probably really hurt from the effort.

"That's the daimyo's castle," Momoka explained, indicating the structure.

"Your daimyo lives _inside_ the hidden village?" Sakura exclaimed, pushing Naruto aside as she turned to their guide in surprise.

"Of course," Momoka began, but she never had time to finish. The four genin were squatting on the slope of the hill, as bored as only young teenagers can be while others are sightseeing things that are familiar as bread to them. One of them took exception to Naruto's comment and strode towards them with an especially leery look on his face. Needless to say, it was the loudmouthed brat with the plaster on his face from earlier.

"Don't you know?" he demanded, glaring at Sakura and the equally puzzled Naruto, "Seishin is _ruled_ by Ninja!"


	11. Chapter 4a

Hello my precious chickens! And may I be the first to welcome you to Chapter 4. Probably the only person sad enough to bother doing so, come to that, but no matter.

How have you been enjoying it so far? Has it been good? Has it been dull? Has it been bogged down in tasteless description and character errors? Is it frankly just too weighty for light reading? Or is there just not enough dirty action? Do let me know!

My deepest and most heartfelt gratitude goes to **Enara6**, the only person so far kind wonderful and generous enough to do the decent humanitarian thing and put me out of my miserable torment by reviewing. That's no exaggeration either.

I was absolutely despondent wondering why people didn't seem to like my story enough for even a short little review. I'm still agonizing actually over that same question - there do seem to be people reading after all. Do they not like it?

Actually I did really want to reply to my reviewer as well (for a change), but she doesn't appear to have PMing enabled and when I tried to include it here it made the author's note much too long! So I'll probably put it on my website when I get round to finishing that up. After all she raised some good points and other readers may be interested in my response too.

So for Enara, who at least did seem to like this story of mine, here is Chapter 4:

Best wishes!

BattyBigSister

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_When he closed his eyes, he was kissing her. She was nowhere near him. She was oceans away and yet… and yet he was practically certain he could taste her on his lips. His whole body was crying out for her. He wanted her touch, her warmth, her kisses… But he wanted more than that too. He wanted her love. So much so that be could not bear her presence without it. Love was something he cherished and had yet known so rarely and yet she… He did not wish to finish the thought._

* * *

"Naruto!"

There was going to be a murder, right here on Seishingakure's ninja forecourt. It was going to be brutal and it was going to be swift. Tsunade was apoplectic with fury. Shizune had her work cut out just trying to hold her back.

"Why are you here?" she barked, pushing her assistant aside as she repeatedly got in her way, "I thought I ordered you to…"

"Oh _dattebayo_, Tsunade-o'baa-san," Naruto growled, charging towards her with apparent recklessness, "It's obvious you were just trying to keep me busy!"

"You don't think tending the troops is important, you little snot-nosed brat?" she shot back, internally a little taken aback at Naruto's sudden perceptiveness, particularly as this time she had found him a semi-important job to do. He wasn't out examining faunic genitals on a remote island for a start. "You think those supplies and medications ship themselves, do you? You think it isn't important that we know exactly what condition each division is in when we assess our combat readiness?" Technically each division leader did give regular reports, but she had been hoping for decent impartial on-the-ground feedback from the assessment she had sent Naruto on. It wasn't like she couldn't have made do without it, but it would definitely have been beneficial … and experience of performing a large-scale troop survey would have been excellent training for a future Hokage. Although she would rather have sat through a mountain of paperwork than admit that latter information to Naruto.

"Well, Sakura said…" Naruto replied with just a little less vehemence than before. He had slowed his advance a little and was now merely glaring at his Hokage from a few feet away, she was pleased to see. The blonde squinted up at the ceiling, scratching the top of his head as he worked out what to say next.

'_Sakura_,' Tsunade thought with increasing comprehension as she took in his latest words, '_Of course_.' Doubtlessly her former pupil had been irritated at having to deal with a bumbling blonde under her feet while she was busy tending to the sick. It would be just like her to have made a few hasty speculative comments about how 'he was only here because Tsunade wanted him out of the way'. Naruto, overhearing, would have jumped to conclusions that may just have eluded him on his own, like the fact that there was something important happening where the Kages were. '_Thank you, Sakura-chan. Thank you very much.'_She paused, holding Shizune at bay with one hand, as she glared across the arriving party until she found a familiar set of pink hair and hot pants attempting to make itself as inconspicuous as possible.

Unfortunately for the young medical ninja, she caught Tsunade's stare. It chilled her right down to the bone. There was a promise there of later 'words' that Sakura was simply not looking forward to. Tsunade could put the 'mean' in 'mean old hag'.

"I don't have time for surveys right now," Naruto yelled, snapping her attention back to him. Apparently he had reformed his thoughts. "I need to be out there fighting Madara, _dattebayo_! He wants me, doesn't he? I need to find him and bring him down!" Then he paused, biting his lip in sudden contemplation. "And anyway," he scratched the back of his neck, "I finished my mission. It was easy. Half the divisions were busy collecting data on themselves. I just picked it all up and handed it in." Sakura looked visibly nonplussed at this information. She had been busy with her own work, of course, but clearly nobody had bothered to tell _her_ that Naruto had finished his share of the mission.

Tsunade just groaned inwardly, releasing a now unresisting Shizune, and closed her eyes. It figured. Just when she wanted to keep Naruto occupied, everyone else decided to get organized. _Drat them!_

"And I suppose you can also give me another smart response as to what I'm going to tell the other Kages when they find out you're here?" she grunted, tossing her head and digging her fists into her sides with an obvious lack of satisfaction. Unable to do much about it she merely settled for drumming one high-heeled sandal against the flagstone floor. "We were given a very clear request for no more than two escorts per Kage, as usual. Thanks entirely to you, I now suddenly have four."

"It doesn't seem all that important to me," came a voice from behind her, "After all it's hardly as if you're about to exploit the advantage - and keeping the Jinchuuriki here where we can keep an eye on him may not be such a bad idea."

"Humph," snorted a more feminine second, "You're only saying that _because_ he's a Jinchuuriki. I'd love to see what would have happened had _I_ brought extra men."

Tsunade turned and found herself face to face with two of her counterparts, the Tsuchikage and the Mizukage, as they exited what she knew to be the daimyo's complex. A small round pink creature, adorned with its own jumper and pearls, trotted out ahead of them. The Hokage glared at it if as it was some kind of personal traitor. TonTon, the pet pig belonging to the Hokage's entourage, squealed and made a dash for the sedate Shizune's comforting arms, a guilty look plastered all over its little snout. The brunette medical ninja rubbed its bristly back and picked it up wordlessly, making soft shushing noises as the animal rubbed its head against the collar of her black ninja outfit.

Seishingakure's main forecourt was not, all things considered, the brightest of places in the world – in fact it probably was more like to shadow what a shell was to a snail – but it was incredibly ornate and beautiful. There was little to no natural daylight, but each of the many flagstones that lined the floor had been intricately hand-carved and worn down with time to form their own dainty little patterns across the floor. Someone had once planted trees at regular internals across the centre in their own sections of individual mosaic and they had grown to epic proportions, their tall trunks dark and bare as they craned to fetch what little light was available over the gigantic walls, granting the whole area a sparse deciduous ceiling. Pointed arches and delicate rounded fountains ran across every vertical surface and the whole place exuded a cloistered, temple-like feeling; a place for introspection and deep thought as much as physical training.

The gateway that led into the inner walls (placed towards the south, opposite the outer south gate, and apparently the only entrance to the daimyo's residence – or, at least, if there were others they were secret and hidden) was as tall and well turreted as any other section of the fortress. The two Kages emerged down massive stone steps from the shadow of the gargantuan dark wood doors and portcullis, and in fairness the Hokage was almost a little surprised when, drawing level with her, they first acknowledged not her, but the Kazekage who been waiting patiently in the shadows of nearby tree for some time now. Perhaps the excessive shadow contributed to Tsunade's oversight, but that was unlikely given that Sakura – whom she had been well aware of – had in fact been hovering a little behind Kankurou for most of the conversation. She had saved his life once before and right now he had found himself repaying her by services as a human shield. With an entirely inward sigh, Tsunade admitted to herself that in all probability it was simple fury that had caused her to pay less than her customary level of attention to her surroundings. She really should do something about that.

"Kazekage-dono," Ryoutenbin no Oonoki, the sandaime Tsuchikage greeted cordially, hobbling forward and giving what was more a brief acknowledging flick of the hand than a wave, "It's good to see you. I'm glad you answered the summons so quickly." He was a tiny ancient creature with a hugely bulbous nose and a pointy goatee who complained regularly of his aging body despite his enormous strength.

"Indeed," the Mizukage, a beautiful slender young woman by the name of Terumii Mei, agreed with an impetuous sigh, "It's just a shame the Raikage didn't bother with the same courtesy. He's just sent word that he might be a few days late. There's been some kind of problem on the way apparently. Nothing serious, he assures us." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. A huge dark-skinned man with fair hair, the Raikage, known as 'A', was as short-tempered and impulsive as his younger brother Killer Bee, the only remaining Jinchuuriki besides Naruto.

Ignoring her fellow female Kage, Tsunade smiled and waved the younger male towards them. "Welcome Gaara," she called, as he approached, "You'll be heavily involved in this mission as well, no doubt, so I'm sure you'll be glad of the chance to properly rest up and reorganize before we get started."

"Oh sure," Naruto mumbled, turning away, "She's nice to him when she sees him." Gaara paused, a little unsure what to make of that comment.

"That Naruto," Sakura snapped, stepping forward to slap her team mate across the back of the head as soon as he was in reaching range, "Is because he's the Kazekage. He's meant to be here, whereas we are just in the way. Come on, lets go find somewhere to stay." She grabbed his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, _dattebayo_," Naruto sighed, letting himself be pulled off into the shadows, "You say it like I'm not just as pleased to see him as everyone else. The guy's my friend after all. See you later, Gaara! We need to catch up, okay?" He pumped his free arm in a vigorous side-to-side motion, his customary grin back all over his face. Gaara, returned the gesture a little more awkwardly from his position with the other village heads, but his smile was no less sincere despite the fact that it was less pronounced.

"Wait! Wait up you two!"

Ren had disappeared shortly after their arrival, mainly with a view to dismissing the genin, leaving them in the normally capable care of Momoka. She had gotten them as far as this forecourt, but had then never-the-less found herself at something of a loss watching the exchange between Naruto and his Hokage. Taking her cue from the silent Sand shinobi, she was now settled between Gaara and Kankurou to patiently watch the show. However that wasn't stopping the massive grin on her face at the sight of her returning sensei. Clearly she was pleased to be rid of the responsibility.

The jounin wasn't alone though. He was being followed by a pretty young female ninja of about his age with a long dirty blonde ponytail tried up with a large amount of coloured beads, matching bangles adorned her wrists as well. "This is my fiancée, Yurika," he told the pair of stray leaf shinobi, indicting his companion, "She'll sort out your rooms and maybe get you something to eat. I figured you could use a hot meal." He kissed the woman lightly on the cheek and all but pushed her towards the two members of Team Kakashi, before turning back to the assembled dignitaries.

"If your gracious O'Kage-samas would be so good as to follow me, the daimyo is awaiting you in his audience chamber," he bowed, waving back towards the inner gate, "Momo-chan, you're also with me. I'll need you to go and check up on the rooms for the Kazekage and his party. See to anything else they might need as well." With that, his loyal little chuunin assistant following him like a lost puppy, Ren carefully ushered the remainder of the party up the steps and out of sight.

Temari, who had only been standing a few steps away from her brothers the whole time, followed with something of a more diffident air. There had been something of slight disappointed touch to her expression when Ren mentioned the word 'fiancée'. Kankurou, beside her, was already gearing up to tease her about it.

Then they were gone and Sakura and Naruto found themselves alone with the young woman introduced as Yurika. "So," the blonde Konoha shinobi cautiously suggested, peering up at his host through squinted eyes, "Any chance of ramen?"


	12. Chapter 4b

A whole thirty-five minutes later Kankurou stumbled up the stairs towards the direction Momoka had indicated he could find his quarters, stifling a yawn with one hand. That meeting had gone on far too long. Technically speaking it was still ongoing, but Gaara was now just going over logistics with some of the other Kages and discussing some mild affairs of state. That had been the nail in the coffin for Kankurou. Politics was a definite no. He had taken the opportunity to excuse himself and left his two more civic-minded siblings to mull over details. He had been traveling for days after all and he was now simply dog tired; forcing himself to stay awake to talk treaties and alliances and whatever just wasn't his thing.

He paused at the sound of voices from behind one of the doors. Recognizing them, he shouldered it open and found himself emerging into a low oblong room beset by dark wooden beams and grey stone. A smattering of starlight poured in through narrow windows on the far walls, but the main source of illumination came from the four great fireplaces dotted along the walls between further doors and wall hangings. Worn couches of dark red leather nestled in front of each fire and on the nearest such arrangement he spotted Naruto and Sakura, a pile of empty bowls stacked up on the low dark wooden table in front of them.

"Kankurou," Naruto waved, spotting him at once. He indicated the space on the couches beside himself and Sakura.

"Any of that left for me?" the puppet-user replied, nodding at the steaming hot bowl of noodles in Naruto's hands. Sakura, he noted, had obviously finished eating a while ago and now merely sipping a cup of hot tea as her companion contentedly gorged himself on ramen.

"Of course," the reply didn't come from Naruto, but from the woman Kankurou remembered to be Ren's fiancée. She had been seated on a couch opposite Sakura, watching him as he entered. "I'll go fetch some for you." The blonde stood and placed what was clearly her own teacup down on the table, offering him her seat.

"Oh," Kankurou's eyes widened and he shook his head, pushing a hand out defensively, "You don't need to go to any trouble."

"It's none," she replied, laughing as she moved past him, "Don't worry about it." She was a tall, narrow-boned woman with long slender limbs and small hips. Her black ninja garb was long and tight fitting, different from most of the other Seishin ninja he had seen, reaching down to hook itself over the middle digit of her hands and bare feet. All her nails were painted a dark green, complimenting the jangling teal and cyan beaded bangles hug liberally over all her limbs. Similar ones decorated her long hair, wrapped so tightly around the base of her ponytail that it stood straight up for several inches before falling loosely down her back. Even the make-up decorating her smiling round eyes was vivid in shades of bright green and yellow.

Most other Seishin shinobi seemed to favour a set of loose three-quarter length black top and bottoms with their wrists and ankles bound up for support and the Seishin forehead protector worn very prominently, and very definitely, upon the forehead. Kankurou guessed that they enforced much stricter policy about uniforms here than in many other villages, so he presumed – correctly as it happened – that Ren's fiancée's deviation from the established code was a privilege of rank. She was wearing the flack jacket used in practically all hidden villages to denote someone of chuunin level or above, it wasn't a huge leap to suggest she might in fact actually be a jounin.

Seishin's take on the standard protective vest was a dark brown affair, somewhat more stylistic than functional, especially for the females. Unusually it actually seemed like they got a slightly different design from their male counterparts, which was surprising given that didn't appear to be a difference between those worn by chuunin and jounin. The kunoichi vest zipped up on the left hand side, ending in a strange skewed teardrop neckline. The tip of said neckline seemed to reach down to the beginning of the breast, showing almost no cleavage, but - if you were into that kind of thing - an awful lot of collarbone and the fleshy top part of the bulge below. Like most of the other female officers though, Yurika wore a high-necked black top underneath it anyway, effectively negating what was visible. The seams of the vest were heavily embroidered in a dark gold and there was another line of the same embroidery running parallel to the zip (though stopping several inches below the neck), giving the faint illusion of a double barrel style top. One of the few deferences to practicality seemed to be the small pockets running along the, heavily fitted, waist of the kunoichi outfit, barely big enough to hold a single shuriken. Kakurou doubted they were ever even used. Seishin's male shinobi wore what amounted to pretty much the same kind of thing, but less fitted with larger pockets, a higher neckline and the zip on the right hand side.

"You're with the Kazekage's party, yes?" the blonde woman smiled, gently nudging Kankurou towards the couches, "Your rooms are just through that door over there. This is the common lounge you're sharing with the Konoha group. I hope that's okay?"

"Fine," Kankurou replied, gratefully edging towards a seat, "Erm…"

"Yurika," she replied, still smiling as Kankurou gratefully slumped onto the couch she'd had left, "Galileo Yurika. Seishin jounin." The last few words trailed behind her as she headed towards the door, waving a green nailed hand dismissively. Her many bangles danced over her ankles and wrists as she walked, apparently unperturbed by the cold stone floor on her bare feet.

She never ran her errand. The sound of a loud crash resounded up the stairs, followed by a scream. Yurika bolted through the door, Kankurou and Naruto hard on her heels. The stairway flitted past them. A narrow corridor loomed up ahead and Yurika juddered to a halt. Her blonde hair nearly whipped Kankurou in the face as he stopped himself from piling into her. Naruto dived under their arms, emerging into the corridor in a headfirst roll. His back slapped into the far wall and he blinked, looking around him, upside-down.

Then his eyes widened. "Nee-san?"


	13. Chapter 4c

Ramen. It was everywhere. Smashed bowls of hot soup littered the window-less stone corridor, glinting yellow in the lamplight. In the middle of it all a young genin, a few years younger than Naruto, sagged on his knees, covered from head to toe in hot soup and noodles. His thick black hair was plastered to his head and his clothes were drenched, sagging against his skin. Splintered shards of china littered the floor around him, but nothing looked as damaged as his face. His dark eyes were wide with shock.

"Riko?" Yurika cried, swooping down to the boy's side, "Riko? Are you hurt?" She grabbed one of his arms, pulling him up towards her so she could examine him for burns.

"No," the boy snapped, collecting himself and shrugging her off in irritation, "I just slipped. That's all." Bracing a hand against her black-clad shoulder, he stood up and glared at a spot just slightly further along the corridor. A woman sat there. A woman dressed in pink and seated in a wheelchair. She looked almost as shocked as the boy.

"Nee-san?" This was Naruto. He righted himself as far as his knees and looked from her to the boy and back again, "What're you doing here? What happened?"

"That's what I would like to know," Riko, the young genin, snarled. His eyes were glaring daggers at the invalid and he balled a fist as he stepped forward.

"Hey!" Kankurou moved towards him, but Yurika had already taken a firm grip on his shoulders again.

"Listen," she retorted, spinning the genin round to face her, as she stood up herself. Her expression was stern as she held him tightly just above the elbows. "I can see you've taken a fright. You slipped carrying the extra ramen upstairs, right?" she didn't wait for acknowledgement and continued despite the boy's defiant glare, "Why don't you let me see to some of this scolding of yours and then go get yourself cleaned up? I'm headed to the kitchens anyway. I'll let them know we need more ramen." Her words, meant either as scolding or soothing, had almost no effect; neither did her gentle petting of his shoulders as she released him.

"Tell her that," the boy growled, jerking his chin towards the woman in the wheelchair from over his shoulder.

The accused widened her eyes in bewilderment and breathed a heavy sigh. "I haven't done anything," one hand covered her mouth and she half-laughed with amusement that seemed very alien in the situation, "You jumped out of your skin just looking at me! Nearly killed me with that soup too." Her long loose hair fell back as she shifted her head to talk, but she seemed to be well clear of the majority of the ramen fallout and was unharmed, save for a few stray splatters on her blankets.

Felling slightly out-of-place in the debacle, Kankurou made as if to leave. The kid just narrowed his eyes. His fists started to shake. "Then why are you here?" Naruto found himself shifting almost protectively towards his acquaintance from the road. There was something about the look in that boy's eyes he didn't like. Even Kankurou stopped dead in his tracks, looking back at the little group in surprise.

"Because it's her job to be," another voice snapped from behind them, "She works in the castle, remember?" Ren appeared from further along the corridor; Temari and Gaara were close behind him. They looked flushed and the Kagekage's sister had a firm grip on the giant fan on her back. The noise of the earlier crash had evidently also brought them running from whatever their previous activities had been. Gaara glanced around at the assortment of ninja and spilled ramen bowls, then turned to Ren with a quizzical expression, as if the latter could help provide an explanation. He clearly couldn't.

Kankurou, on the other hand, brightened at the sight of his siblings. He jumped over the puddles of ramen and hurried towards Temari, with an air of gratitude at being able to pass an unwanted embarrassment over to someone more suited to dealing with it. His sister twitched her nose in irritation at his mere approach, but her brother ignored her as he sidled into place behind Gaara, stretching liberally. His movement had also revealed a blushing Sakura, who had clearly followed the others down from upstairs and had once again been peering out from behind the Sand Shinobi, unintentionally this time though. He had merely been stood in her way so that she had been unable to pass into the corridor.

"Are you hurt?" Gaara asked, stepping forward to look at the Seishin boy. He received a glare in return that took him somewhat aback.

"That's enough," Yurika snapped, cuffing the boy's hair, "Now you're just being rude to the Kazekage. Come on. Let's get you cleaned up." She grabbed the teenager's arm and half-pulled him passed the wheelchair and away from the party. Her expression alone made it clear that she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

"I can help," Sakura offered, hurrying after them, "I'm a medic." A hand caught her arm and she looked down to see the wheelchair woman motioning to stop her as she went by.

"Please," the accoster offered, her quiet voice rising a little as she looked at the pink-haired girl from Konoha, "There's really no need. Yurika is one of our foremost medical ninja and Riko-kun was only mildly scolded. He'll be fine."

Sakura almost felt a little embarrassed looking at her. The woman had a genuinely exhausted appearance, as if what had happened had drained her in more ways than she let on. Her cheeks were flushed quite pink beneath their covering of freckles and there was an odd artificial stiffness to her expression, that suggested concealed mortification. It was also clear that the Seishin resident was aiming for disaster-management. Whatever had just happened here, she wanted it to be over and forgotten as soon as possible. "I just wanna make sure he's okay," Sakura mumbled, "It's sorta a habit."

The woman sighed, but she smiled and nodded, clearly understanding. "He is. Don't worry," she told her, letting go of the kunoichi's arm and indicating the corridor, "Three doors down, on the right."

"Thanks," Sakura disappeared with a wave and a short backwards glance towards Naruto, who was staring around in evident lament at the waste of good ramen noodles.

"I really cannot apologise enough that you had to see such a scene," the woman went on, turning towards the rest of the party and bowing as low as someone could while still seated. "Please feel free to return to your quarters. Dinner will be with you in fifteen minutes." Her clasped hands twitched slightly, indicating the stairway up towards the guest quarters. Gaara took the hint and waved to his siblings to follow him as he strode upstairs. He paused though, turning back on himself and letting Kankurou and Temari passed him, when he realised that Naruto wasn't following.

"What was that about, Nee-san?" the blonde demanded, hurrying up towards her before she could even draw more breath, "What was he so angry about?"

She looked a little startled at the sudden inquiry. "Oh, Naruto-san," she breathed, pinching the bridge of her nose out of tiredness, "Please don't worry about that." Her cheeks were still a little pink, but she grinned as she turned towards him. It seemed she was genuinely happy to finally get a chance to greet him properly. "It's just some personal stuff. That's all. Please, why don't you go upstairs and rest? I'll go fetch you more ramen and get someone to clear up this mess…" She leant forward and her fingers brushed his shoulder in a semi-affectionate way, which put a smile back on the blonde ninja's face.

"Can I help?" he inquired, looking much more cheerful at the mention of his favourite noodles, "I can help pick the flavours. I'm something of an expert on ramen, _dattebayo_."

The woman laughed, interrupting him. "Sure - why not?" With a practiced turn of her hand on the wheel, she scooted her chair forward a little, reaching out and taking Naruto's arm with a smile, "Come on then. If O'Nii-sama would just see the rest of our honoured guests to their rooms? They must be tired."

The Konoha ninja almost looked around to see who she meant, before the fixed stare she was shooting at the other Seishin native told him she was referring to Ren. The jounin hadn't moved at all. He stood squarely in the corridor, his arms folded and his eyes narrowed. Now that he had her attention, his expression darkened if anything.

The woman sighed, rubbing her forehead with one hand and letting go of Naruto. "Oh honestly, O'Nii-sama…"

"No," he snapped back, making Naruto jump and Gaara stare at him in surprise, "No. Don't give me that attitude! What were you going out of the village today?" Now that the subject had been drawn to notice, there was a slight family resemblance between the two of them. The woman seemed to have a similar nose and eye shape to Ren. Even her voice had the same slight melodic tone to it, although naturally at a much higher pitch.

She straightened her blankets and folded her arms defiantly. "Shopping," she retorted, clearly irritated as her own gaze hardened, "We wanted some fresh eggs and milk for supper tonight. And this isn't the time or the place to be…"

"If you'd said," Ren barked, marching towards her and somehow managing not to slip on the spilled ramen, "I could have brought you whatever you needed!" Pushing passed Naruto, he leaned over her chair. His eyes were flashing dangerously and his teeth were set.

This merely made his sister grunt and start biting back laughter. "What were you going to do?" She pushed him away, trying to stifle her giggles, "Take the Kazekage on a shopping trip? Seriously O'Nii-sama, it was no bother." From where she had paused to wait further up the stairs, Temari shot her youngest brother a sneaky glance, privately imaging him carrying a basket of full eggs and comparing the price of different bottles of milk. It was enough to nearly make her start giggling too.

Ren was far less amused. "You nearly got caught up in that accident! What if…"

"Oh come on O'Nii-sama," the woman groaned, raising her eyes heavenwards, "Nothing…"

"She did save my life," Naruto interjected, stepping forward. Ren stared at him, making his sister raise her hands and shrug her shoulders in a universal gesture of 'well, I did tell you so'. Her brother switched straight back to glaring at her, but she merely rolled her eyes again and shook her head.

An uncomfortable silence dominated the bare stone hallway for a few seconds. Ren and his sister remained caught in a private standoff and Naruto stood awkwardly between them, unsure of how to react. The wheel-chair bound woman appeared to want to be just about anywhere else as well, but it was clear that she couldn't under her brother's scrutinising glare. It seemed like any action of hers might set off a waiting tirade and she was plainly even more keen to avoid that. That and she was evidently exasperated. There was a diatribe of her own bubbling its way towards the surface, ready to erupt at any given second. Gaara cleared his throat, stepping forward and coming to her aid. "I take it then this lady is the source of that chakra I felt earlier?"

The proponents turned in surprise. Naruto heaved a sigh of relief. "On the road before? Yes… I suppose I am," the woman seemed to know what he meant without prompting, "O'Kazekage-sama." She also knew who he was and half-bowed as a gesture of respect.

Gaara merely nodded; a lone figure in the ramen-lake on the dark stone flagstones. "I wanted to thank you for assistance. Without you I'm sure things would have been much worse."

She shook her head, waving a hand in front of her face to hide her own embarrassment. "Don't mention it. You did all the heavy work after all."

Naruto blinked, turning back to her. "You can use chakra, nee-san? Even from that chair?" He blushed suddenly as he realised that what he said might be taken as rather tactless.

The intended addressee on the other hand merely grinned back at him. "Yes, that's right," she laughed, giving him a much more genuine smile than many of those she had offered before. It even reached her eyes, "I don't look it, do I? Back in the day I actually used to be a bit of a ninja myself. I'm retired from duty now though." She gestured dismissively at her chair. "You can't really fight in wheels, so I'm on a permanent holiday."

"And she's not supposed to be using her chakra either," Ren growled, his arms folded again, "It exacerbates her…"

"Thank you, O'Nii-sama," she winced in exasperation and this time her hand movement was more of a signal to dismiss Ren than anything else. "Seriously, Naruto-kun," she wheeled herself forward, tapping the Konoha ninja on the arm, "Let's just go before my brother does himself an injury."

"I'm talking to you!" said brother snapped, turning to yell at her as she past him on her way downstairs. He made a half-hearted swipe to hold her back, but somehow, wheelchair or no, she dodged it with relative ease.

"I know you're talking," she retorted, pulling a somewhat bemused Naruto away from him, "But haven't we humiliated ourselves enough for one evening? Why don't you escort our long-suffering guests instead?"

"You!" her brother shot back, but Kankurou and Temari were already heading upstairs. Their younger brother turned to follow them and Ren sighed, finally accepting defeat. He cast a final glance towards Naruto and his sibling, who were rapidly vanishing the way he had come. "… You sure you're alright?"

His sister heard him and turned her head. "Of course," she winked.


	14. Chapter 4d

Night curled around Seishingakure like a feral mother around its offspring. There was no moon and the stars were faint in the velvety dark, outshone by the vivid display of Seishin city. The very air hung in foggy dark wisps around Gaara's window frame as he watched the night wear onwards and build up its strength.

It was a tiny window, barely wider than his own hand. There were a couple like it around the room they had given him, all luxuriously draped in red velvet and patterned with delicate stained glass. It didn't stop the place from feeling like a prison cell.

By Seishin standards of course, as he had seen them, this was probably a very opulent affair for a bedroom. There was a seating area, similar to those outside in the lounge, ready for his personal use and his own wood fire burned low in the gate. Hidden away by delightfully ornate dark rosewood screens stood a giant four-poster bed with an equally decorative assortment of bedroom furniture. There was even a sumptuous ensuite bathroom ready for him through an adjoining door.

The walls and floor though were made of the same dark schist and granite as the rest of the castle and none of the rugs, paintings and hangings dotted about made it feel any warmer. Seishin castle was a place build for its own defense; living in it was a mere side function. Gaara, given as he was to restlessness at night, could not help but feel stir-crazy cooped up inside its lifeless walls.

Pressing his face close against the frigid glass he gulped the cool air as it came in from the small opening in the top half of the window, his hands hugging the cold stone of the window frame. He closed his eyes, pressing himself tighter against the freezing pane, his breathing coming out deep and desperate.

Then, abruptly, he pushed himself away. Sweeping his red hair from his face, he strode towards the door, frantic to be outside. Careful not to wake his siblings, he progressed down their corridor and out through the communal lounge, retracing his way almost by memory in the darkness.

It wasn't that any of the Seishin shinobi were directly unfriendly, quite the reverse in fact, but it was difficult not to notice the way they tended to stick like glue to anyone moving around their fortress. Gaara was hardly surprised. Every hidden village had its secrets and in a place this size there were bound to be areas they wouldn't want a wondering outsider to stumble into, accidentally or on purpose. He had no intention of snooping around, but still at the moment he just wanted to be alone, outside.

Moving deftly through the shadows, he gradually made his way out into the courtyard in which the Hokage had so 'passionately' greeted Naruto a few hours before. He glanced around, moving in the shadows of one of the trees. He supposed there had to be a way up onto the walls around here somewhere.

"Can I help you?" a voice quietly offered behind him.

He flinched almost automatically, his shoulders tense. Cursing inwardly, he turned to see the young wheelchair-bound woman from before, her head propped up on one of her arms, watching him with an amused smile on her face.

Self-consciously he turned, fiddling absently with the seam of a sleeve. "I… was… um…"

"Couldn't sleep, O'Kazekage-sama?" she suggested, an almost laughing tone to her voice as she waved away his explanations, "Believe me, I know the feeling." She rolled herself a little closer. The smile on her face made Gaara relax a little.

"It's my bad really," she chuckled, beckoning him towards her, "Had I known your honourable self was the type to get restless at night, I would have assigned you one of the higher guest suites with a balcony. I'm guessing that might have made you a little more comfortable?"

"It doesn't matter," Gaara mumbled, taking a few steps towards her. He could barely make out her face, just the shadow of her long fringe hiding her eyes. She seemed to have found a few extra blankets from somewhere and one of them was draped over her shoulders like a shawl.

She shook her head. "Actually it does to me," she sighed, reaching out a hand towards him, "You look really uncomfortable. And here I was thinking that giving the rooms nearer the main part of the building would keep you warmer. It must be pretty cold here compared with Suna."

"The desert can get very cold at night," he replied, coming to halt a few paces away from her chair.

"So it can. My bad." An idea hit her and she beckoned him enthusiastically once again, "Come with me then, Kazekage-sama. I'll take you up on the roof."

"The roof?" he repeated, his eyes widening.

"Yeah," she paused, halfway through turning her wheelchair, "That is where you were heading, right? It'll be faster if I show you the way." She grinned, apparently spotting his nonplussed expression. "Surely somebody warned you about Seishin ninja and our annoying bloodline limits?"

"Telepaths," Gaara whispered, remembering a conversation before leaving Suna.

She nodded, stroking the hair out of her eyes with a flick of a finger. "Only a very few of us, but yes," she agreed, twisting slightly in her half-turned chair, "Don't think about anything you really want to keep secret unless you're certain you're alone. Even then, I don't recommend it." She winked, tapping her nose with a smile.

"Hardly makes this a great place for a Kage conference," Gaara grunted, taking a few more steps towards her, "I remember telling my advisers that."

"Then they would have told you that this is the closest secure allied nation to the criminal facility," came the deadpan reply, as she finished turning her chair started of towards one of the far corners, "You need a secure base close by to take on something like that. After all there's every chance it's still operative."

Gaara stopped dead, staring at her back. "You know the mission details?"

She mock-glowered at him, as much as she could in the dark with her wheelchair facing the other way. "Why wouldn't I? Just because I'm retired doesn't mean I'm not still one of Seishin's highest ranking jounin."

"And about as modest as your brother," Gaara responded coolly, folding his arms, "For a moment I wondered if you'd stolen the information out of someone's mind."

"I'm no sneak." That was almost a growl. Clearly he had offended her. Her back hit its rest with an audible thump, as she spun around not deigning to look at him, "For your information, I've been monitoring the situation for a few years. It was actually me who put together most of the files you were briefed with."

Gaara shifted a little uncomfortably. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"Don't worry about it, Kazekage-sama," she answered, still not turning around. On second thought Gaara considered her voice to be more tired than angry, "I'm used to that kind of prejudice. If it makes you any happier there are no other telepaths currently stationed in Seishingakure and I never spy on our allies – unless I'm specifically ordered to."

"That makes me feel much better," Gaara muttered sarcastically, drawing level with her chair.

"Heh, so it should," even in the half-light he could see her smirk, but she grew serious again in seconds, "Don't worry. The Daimyo is a honourable man – and one I respect more than any other. He won't give me that order except in the most extreme circumstances. He values the alliance."

"Didn't you just read my mind a moment ago?" Gaara retorted quizzically, "Before you gave me that warning."

She actually looked confused for a few moments, before his meaning dawned on her. "No, I guessed," she told him with a sigh, "Telepaths and empaths become really good at reading expressions over time, even without help. That and I feel the same way most nights. Come on, Kazekage-sama, follow me." She tugged gently on his robes, waving a hand in a way much more familiar than her tone. Gaara found himself falling into step beside her wheelchair almost automatically.

"What's an empath?" he enquired as they reached a small enclave under an arch in the far wall. It was almost hidden in the darkness, but as he followed the wheelchair inside it he noticed that it sheltered a small cargo-lift, surrounded on all sides by ornate iron railings to prevent accidents.

"Someone who reads emotions," came the reply as she reached out and struggled with the gate.

"Isn't that the same as a telepath?" he suggested, reaching over her to push it aside.

"Thanks," she breathed, wheeling forwards. "No, not entirely."

"But you're both?" he chuckled, catching her eye and closing the gates as he took his place beside her.

"Oh yeah," she grinned, winking and slapped her hand against a button on her far side. Around them, the lift noisily hissed and juddered into motion.

"Have you always been like that?" Gaara looked down at her from his vantage, placing a hand on her chair to steady it with the jolting motion.

"Since I was born," she replied, entwining her fingers in the spokes of her wheels, "It's an autonomous jutsu, not one I consciously control, so not using it actually means I need to deliberately block my own chakra activity. Quite challenging for long periods, but then I've had the practice." She paused, shifting in her chair and sighing. "Growing up, I used to describe the people around me as one big picture book. I could see so much more than was visible on the surface." She closed her eyes, leaning back in her chair.

"Is your brother the same?" Gaara leaned just a little forward, fascinated by the conversation.

She shook her head, her eyes still closed. "No. He's inherited similar bloodline limits obviously, since we're twins and share both parents, but the psychic bloodline ability is one that expresses itself in a variety of different ways across different members of the family. Your siblings can't move sand around either, can they?"

Gaara shifted, leaning backwards this time so that he was propped against the metal railing, but with his eyes fixed on her face. "Is all this mind reading why people are scared of you? They don't like you invading their thoughts?"

The lift jerked to a halt around them. Dismal city light drifted in through the open exit on this level, catching the woman across the back of her head and wheelchair, but leaving her face locked in the shadows. She didn't open her eyes for a while nor did she move. She just sat there, letting time tick by, Gaara's motionless features observing her all the while.

"No," she muttered at last, "No, I'm afraid that's not the only reason."


	15. Chapter 4e

"I really cannot apologise enough that you had to see such a scene. Please feel free to return to your quarters. Dinner will be with you…"

The words echoed down the corridor as Sakura moved away from the group, hurrying after Yurika and the injured boy. All the corridors in Seishin's castle seemed to be the same long bare stone passages, lit only wall sconces and devoid of natural light, but then the doors were very similar as well. Beautiful round-topped wooden entrances, delightfully engraved with images of flowers and birds native to Seishin, made it very easy for Sakura to count them as she passed by. That and the one she wanted was ajar anyway, with voices coming through it.

"Will you just take off your shirt and stop arguing?" Yurika's voice snapped in evident frustration.

"Well I can't help it!" came the boy's impassioned response. There was a loud thump as he seemed to knock something over. Sakura could hear Yurika swearing. "What is she doing parading round in front of our visitors anyway? By rights she should be locked up! Even my Dad says we should put her down like the animal she is!" Sakura couldn't help it. She stopped dead in her tracks, listening.

"That's a senior jounin you're talking about," Yurika roared back at him, her voice angry now, "And a woman who would do anything for this village and her country. Your Dad should know that too."

"That not true! She's a monster! She killed…" He was cut off suddenly, as if Yurika had hushed him more vigorously than before. The door was flung open and the blonde stood there, glaring at Sakura with a harassed look on her face.

"I… er… came to help," Sakura spluttered, taken aback, "I'm a medical ninja…"

"Of course you are," Yurika murmured, running a hand over her eyes, "Sorry, Sakura-san, I forgot. Come on in. Not that there's anything wrong with this one worth shouting about, besides the bad attitude." She stepped aside, letting the Konoha girl into the room.

It looked like a tiny first aid centre, presumably intended to service the guest rooms if necessary. There had to be bigger facilities elsewhere – or at least Sakura fervently hoped so – as this was little more than a former broom cupboard now equipped with an average-looking medical trolley-bed(1) and a first aid box mounted on the wall. Anything bigger than a stubbed toe would be well out of this room's league.

Still there was a window, the tall ridiculously narrow kind favoured in this building, and that seemed to be something of a luxury around here in itself. Not that it would be easy to take in the view through something that small, even if it weren't stained glass.

The boy genin, a fourteen year old with flat black hair, was sat upon the bed. His ninja top flung in a heap beside him, revealing the loose black string top he wore underneath. Yurika was right. There really wasn't anything wrong with him, besides maybe four or five tiny red marks dotted over his torso and a lower arm. It was surprising really, given that his top was drenched right through with soup. Surely it must have originally been scorching hot. Almost a miracle there wasn't more burning…

Yurika moved up to the bed and lifted the boy's arm, pressing a small glowing ball of chakra right up against the one solitary mark there. It disappeared almost instantly. "Aren't you lucky to have all these girls fussing over you?" she cooed, apparently trying to cajole him into more pleasant conversation for Sakura's sake.

"I only got startled and tripped over," the boy grunted, snatching his arm away in embarrassment. "It's not worth all this fuss."

"No," Yurika agreed, nevertheless moving on to clear up the tiny burns on his chest, "But I suppose this will make you be more careful, huh?"

Sakura watched them in silence, unsure of what to think.

* * *

_(1) U.S. term:_ gurney


	16. Chapter 4f

Naruto trudged along next to his wheeled companion in silent thought. The conversation he had just witnessed with her brother played through his mind, as did the incident that prompted it.

"Do you and your O'Nii-san get along?" he suddenly asked, coming to a dead stop.

She turned her chair as best she could in the narrow space, surprised by the question. "Of course we do," she replied, tilting her head at him in genuine astonishment, "O'Nii-sama is very precious to me. He worries a lot. That's all."

"Does stuff like that happen a lot?" Naruto went on, his tone tense and worried, "Like with that kid?"

"Not _a lot _a lot," she rolled her eyes and one of her hands as if by way of an explanation.

"But regularly," Naruto concluded, guessing what she wasn't saying. He shook his head, running a hand across his messy blonde hair, "I've seen those kinds of eyes before, Nee-san. When I was small people used to look at me like that. Why do they…? Why you?"

Her eyes widened and she pressed her own fist up against the bridge of her nose suddenly flustered. "Oh… there was an incident a few years ago," she began, almost warding him off with her hands, "And I've always had something of a bad reputation. Look, don't worry about it. It's nothing. I'm used to it. There really isn't a problem." She flicked said hands back and forth as if to indicate the absolute lack of any need for concern. Her face had a tired look again.

"You sound like there is." Naruto deadpanned, not moving a muscle.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Look," she snapped, turning on him. Her voice suddenly high-pitched in agitation, "I wanted to say this to you earlier so I'll say it now: don't act like you're too close to me. Not here. Not in Seishin. It won't do you or your party any favours. Trust me. You can talk, just… just don't be too friendly." She sighed.

"Why?" Naruto howled indignantly, utterly taken by surprise by this new twist in the conversation. His arms failed widely as he stepped towards her, wide-eyed. "But you _are_ my friend, aren't you?"

Her eyes widened again. "Naruto," she began, more quietly, but just as earnestly, "I'm touched, really I am, but – seriously – you only met me this morning. Don't get yourself involved. Trust me. It's not worth it."

"Why?" he wailed, shaking his head and hands in disbelief, "_Dattebayo!_ If you're my friend why can't I treat you like one?"

"Naruto-san, please!" she groaned, hiding her face in her hands again, "Just leave it. It's none of your business. Don't get yourself involved!" She peered up at him over her fingers, imploring him.

"No way! _Dattebayo!_" he barked, grabbing the armrests of her chair, "My friends are way too precious to me to sacrifice them… for... for… For what exactly? What don't you want me to get involved in?"

"My life," she hissed, pushing him away, and propelling herself backwards down the corridor at full speed, "Just stay the hell away from me!"

Naruto watched her go, speechless.


	17. Chapter 4g

"I'm sorry," Gaara murmured, leaning sideways against the fortification built prevent people from falling off the wall tops. He looked down at her beside him. "I should not have pried." He hadn't exactly gotten an answer from her either. Just that he should ask the Daimyo for more information on her if he needed it and he would probably be happy to oblige.

"Don't be ridiculous," she retorted, half-laughing as she folded her arms and leant back in her chair, drinking in the view, "Of course you should have. You're the Kazekage. We may be allies and you may have my word that I mean you no harm, but you would be an idiot not to investigate something you deem suspicious." Her hair fell away from her face and for the first time Gaara could see it clearly in the light from a nearby lantern. She had very delicate, deathly pale skin with traces of freckles over her cheekbones, but he noticed the many worry-lines forming around her eyes and the traces of dark circles building beneath them. Of course, she had some way to go before they became anything like as sunken and dark as his own ocular tissue after so many years of housing Shukaku, but nevertheless it sparked a degree of concern in him.

"I trust your word," he told her simply, gazing out over the sleeping city, "If you say I have nothing to worry about, then I do not."

She giggled, visibly laughing behind a hand she had brought up to cover her mouth. "That is just utterly ridiculous! In someone you only just met."

"Perhaps," he murmured, glancing down at her laughing form with a slight smile, "But I have a friend who taught me the importance of trust."

"This would be Naruto," she smirked, glaring up at him and shaking her head.

"It would," he affirmed, slightly taken aback, "How did you know?"

"Because he and I have known each other for all of about…" She paused, counting in her head, "Maybe fourteen hours – and we've already had our first 'best friend row'."

"Is that so?" Gaara almost grinned, turning back to the silent city, "Yes, that's Naruto."

"You're hardly in a position to judge," she sighed, shaking her head again as she held her forehead with one hand and stared down into her lap, "Don't get me wrong, I think trusting people is important too, but usually I've either known them for longer than a day or else I've done a thorough search of their mind and know they aren't a threat."

"I see having faith in people is your strong point," Gaara chuckled, his eyes still fixed out onto the distant lights.

"I suffer from this disease called 'common sense', Kazekage-sama," she quipped, shaking her head, but there was definitely laughter lining her voice, "So sue me, _dat~te~bay~o_." The last part was almost a perfect mimicry of an outraged Naruto.

That made him laugh outright. He glanced down at his companion and caught the grin she shot back up at him. Something about that moment, the smirk on her face and the twinkle in his eyes, made them both give in to hysterics. Curling up in her chair, she fell down over her knees even her legs twitching with her own giggling. Gaara laughed with her, holding himself upright on the wall with both hands, as silent fits racked through his chest.

"Okay, give it up, Kazekage-dono. It wasn't that funny," the woman chuckled, prodding him where he had fallen slightly in the way of her wheelchair. He glanced at her, grinning.

"I think we both just needed to laugh," he replied, moving out of her line of sight and straightening himself up.

"We did," she sighed, stretching in her chair. "Seishin's beautiful at night, isn't it?" she whispered, nodding out towards the scenery. The glittering city sprawled out towards the silent mountains like a soft glowing blanket and the dark gray shadows that were the mountains basked in the city's half-light growing all around them with just their snowy white peaks marking out the horizon.

"You should see Suna," he mumbled, standing beside her, "If you like this…"

"Desert," she nodded, her eyes still lost in the horizon, "It would be beautiful. Personally though I'm a sucker for decent mountains."

"I can see what you mean," he agreed, seating himself on the wall again.

They were quiet for a while, both silently watching the world around them. The wind ruffled Gaara's mess of crimson hair; tugging on his Kage robes and making them flutter softly around his body. His limbs had started to ache with tiredness again and he could feel his head becoming heavier in the icy breeze. Closing his eyes, he sighed softly, letting the pain and dizziness pass through him without resistance. He couldn't sleep. That much was certain. He had tried before and been unable too. He had tried in states far worse than this and still been unable to sleep.

"Why don't you go to bed?" his companion suggested, observing him with wide-eyed concern. Her naive proposition proved beyond all doubt that she certainly wasn't using any mind reading jutsu at that moment.

"I can't sleep," Gaara grunted, shaking his head.

"Have you tried…?" she began, staring at him.

"Yes," he cut her off abruptly, massaging his temples.

"I see," his interruption telling her everything it needed too. Her eyes stayed fixed on him for a while, until he turned and looked straight at her face. She glanced away in embarrassment.

Still she ran a hand awkwardly across the back of her neck. Clearly she had something she wanted to say, but she seemed to lack the nerve. "May I try something?" she began, biting her lip slightly, "There's an old Seishin jutsu… It helps with sleep…"

"By all means," he almost laughed. So it was some kind of jutsu? Well, it wasn't like he had tried enough of them.

She didn't seem reassured. "It's a little embarrassing. You'll have to lie on my lap…" He gaped at her, twitching his head in surprise. "I don't bite, you know," she added, seeing his expression.

"Right," he mumbled, regarding her with a wide-eyed stare. Then he just shrugged, "Do what you will."

"I see enthusiasm is _your_ strong point," she jokingly jibed at him, pulling the blanket from around her shoulders and throwing it carefully on the floor next to her wheelchair. It landed quite neatly, considering, in a folded rectangle, which covered part of the stone floor just along the inside of the wall. The woman nodded in satisfaction.

It wasn't until Gaara watched her manoeuvre herself from the wheelchair to the floor that he really started to panic. She pointedly ignored him, pulling one of the remaining blankets from her chair and wrapping around herself as she stretched her legs out over the walkway. "Do you want to do this jutsu or not?" she glared, offering him the last remaining cover as she finally made eye contact. There was just a hint of a blush around her cheeks.

Gaara shivered slightly, but took the blanket from her hands. It was soft and fluffy, a billowing pinkish white thing that was normally uppermost of the layers of fabric covering her legs when she sat in the chair. He had to give her that it was probably very warm.

"Your call," she sighed, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes. Her arms hung loosely by her side.

"This will work?" he enquired, dubiously rubbing his hands across the soft material.

"I almost guarantee it," she replied, not bothering to move.

Gaara shook his head. "And if it doesn't?" He took a cautious few steps around the wheelchair, looking down at her with a nervous smile.

"Then you're a freak of nature," she informed him coldly, still not moving. He could feel a familiar shift in the atmosphere around her that told him she was gathering and concentrating her chakra reserves.

"People have called me that before," Gaara laughed, joking and ran a hand through his hair.

"This will make it official," she deadpanned, folding her arms. Her chakra activity was quite intensive now.

Gaara sighed. "Well, when you put it like that…" He moved towards her blanket and cautiously sat down beside her. She opened an eye, leering at him with a half-joking smirk. "Right," he muttered, catching her drift, and lay down in her lap. Even his breathing felt awkward, as he remained stiffly in position staring along her legs at her rounded court shoes.

She, on the other hand, slowly came back to life. Taking the fluffy blanket from his unresisting arms, she spread it as far as she could reach over his body, even tucking in the parts around his shoulders to help keep him warm. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her form various seals over his head and then her fingers abruptly ran through his hair and over his shoulder towards his heart, practically making him jump out of his skin.

After a few awkward moments though he realised he didn't overly mind the activity. There was a warm tingling sensation emitting from her fingertips as her chakra deliberately stimulated his and he felt a strange heat washing over him, unwinding his muscles. Her delicate movement gently massaged his skin and his breathing gradually became heavier and deeper. He found himself fighting the urge to close his eyes. Giving in, blissful warmth erupted from the pit of his stomach, seeping into every pore of his body. The world seemed to sink away from him and he found himself drifting away in a warm darkness, his senses swaying without movement from his body. Within moments, he was asleep.


	18. Chapter 5a

Hello my beautiful ducklets and willkommen bei Kapitel Fünf! First of the bat, I owe some of you guys an apology. There was a bit of a mix up around… I think it was section 4d (that's 14 to those of you not working on my system). I accidentally posted 4e in its place for a while. Thankfully I was playing around with the chapters anyway and noticed after just a few hours, but if you got confused then… I'm really, really sorry! =0(

Deux; regarding reviews. My eternal love and thanks go to Lenore-Light, KebechetOfTheSand and twice over to MaxRideLover for all their lovely reviews and positive feedback for both this story and _Gaara's Little Friend_. I'm so grateful to know that I have people who enjoy reading this story and enjoy the work I put into it.

That said I am still really discouraged about the general lack of feedback & even more so because I really can't point my finger on exactly what the problem is – and, being me, it wasn't long before I came up with a solution, which I hope will let me come up with some answers. Introducing the 'Review Form':

People are still reading, so I'm reasonably sure they can't completely hate this story. I'm hoping this will make it a little easier for those of you who get to the end of this story and just can't be bothered to compose a long reply, but still bring me invaluable feedback so I can keep on improving my writing. A goal that is really, really important to me at the moment. You will now find one of these forms at the _end_ of every full chapter, so you can just copy & paste and let me know what you thought relatively easily and without too much effort. Of course, I prefer a full on long review you wrote yourself, but beggars aren't choosers after all…

o/The story is stagnated and lacks real action in its plot: True/False

o/I enjoyed the description: True/False

o/The character's actions aren't really believable: True/False

o/The writing is too long, wordy & convoluted in places: True/False

o/I found your writing style engaging: True/False

o/Out of Ten, I give your story so far:

o/I love you BattyBigSister and will house, feed, clothe and wait on you forever if you just keep on writing for me: False/Even More False

So for the lovely Lenore-Light (Have you read her story by the way? I think it's awesome), for KebechetOfTheSand and of course for the indomitable and charming MaxRideLover, I bring you Chapter 5! Happy Reading!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_It had been so long since he had last seen her. It had been far too long since he had last been held in her arms. Was it normal to think of someone so much even when you had been apart for so long? Would he change with more time? Would he stop thinking of her when he fell asleep and when he woke up? When he ate food with a lot of vegetables? When the sun shone on his bed in the morning? Would he even see her again? He knew now that he loved her. That he missed her terribly. That he would probably give just about anything to be with her and to see her again. To make her love him even a tenth of the amount he felt for her. To make her his. His Naomi._

* * *

Sunlight tickled the Kazekage's eyelids as he woke up. Warm and comfortable beneath his blanket, he shifted, unwilling to move. A gentle tingling sensation fluttered down over his spine from his scalp and there was a balmy heat pressed over his heart. He shifted again. His mattress was much harder than he remembered. There was a woman humming softly close by. With a jolt he became aware of where he was.

He snapped upright, the blanket falling from his back. What the hell was wrong with him? Had he really just…? He shook his head, unable to believe he had been quite that stupid. To spend the night asleep in the lap of a woman he barely knew… It was ridiculous. He was the Kazekage for crying out loud… and she was a kunoichi he already _knew _was highly skilled at mental-type jutsu. There was no telling what she might have extracted from his mind while he was peacefully sleeping…

A yawn distracted him and he glanced up to see the drowsy look on his companion's face. She seemed drained and exhausted. "Good morning, O'Kazekage-sama," she whispered, blinking and rubbing her eyes. Her spare hand was massaging her thighs, obviously tender from having his weight pressed on them for… how many hours?

"You must have been exhausted, Kazekage-sama," another voice laughed, "Normally that jutsu only lasts for about eight hours. You were out for the count for a good nine and a half apparently." That was Ren, perched on the inside wall of the little stone walkway, watching them with evident amusement.

"Leave the poor kid be, O'Nii-sama," his sister mumbled, stretching slightly and shaking her head, "He was practically ill with tiredness." Gaara winced hearing this. Had he really been that obvious?

"Well, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Her brother sighed, jumping off the wall and shaking his head at her, "You know using your chakra aggravates your condition and what do you do?" Gaara glanced sideways at his female companion, guilt suddenly overcoming his other emotions.

"Stop fussing, you over-grown mother hen," she grumbled, yawning and waving her hand dismissively waving, "I'm _supposed_ to keep using my chakra network to stop it from atrophying."

"In regular small amounts," her brother shot back, as Gaara glanced confused from one to the other, "What part of a nine hour jutsu is small?"

"It's hardly the most demanding jutsu in the world," she murmured, "I should show you some _real_ chakra use then maybe you'd have something to compare it with." She turned and pulled herself up with the aid of the wall, kicking her legs against the hard stone to relieve the evident pins and needles.

For someone in a wheelchair, Gaara noted, she had very healthy-looking legs. Normally excess nerve damage could cause tissue around the legs to shrink and shrivel slightly, but the limbs emerging from under her skirt in their stockings and small-wedged heels were, if not as muscular as a normal kunoichi, at least as rounded and well-built as those of an ordinary woman.

Sunlight streamed in over the wall and hit her across her face, illuminating her gray-brown hair. The sky above her arched in a faint blue, fluffy wisps of cloud streaking across it like dabs from an artist's brush. A breeze caught some of the pink frills of her dress, letting them billow and move against the deep grays of the castle stone. She sighed, tasting the air as it brushed her skin.

"So you say," Ren caught the woman around the waist and lifted her into her chair, "You damn invalid. You know I know you're hurting all over and you insist on behaving as if there's nothing wrong. Honestly, do you know how worried I was when I couldn't find you on your rounds last night? At least let me know next time, okay? Moron."

"Idiot O'Nii-sama," she shot back, glaring at him as he gathered the blankets from the floor and dumped them in her lap. There was the other thing Gaara noticed about her. The way she spoke was strange. She started off making every play towards deference and courtesy and then gradually, as she became more comfortable, she would adopt a half-hearted playful attitude that undermined the whole thing. He still retained some semblance of respect, but her brother – despite her polite address of him – was generally treated as if he was the single most annoying creature this side of the universe. It almost made Gaara wonder if she was actually just teasing Ren in the first place.

"I hope my brat of a sister hasn't inconvenienced you," said Seishin shinobi offered, kneeling down in front of the Kazekage to gain eye level, "She's an ass at times, but she means well."

"Gee thanks, O'Nii-sama," his sister interrupted coldly, readjusting herself in her chair behind his back, "I love you too." Noticing that said brother was ignoring her and her glaring, Gaara stood, letting Ren pick up the remaining blanket.

"When you're ready, O'Kazekage-sama," the Seishin ninja went on, his tone suddenly becoming more formal, "There's a Kage Conference in about half an hour. I was sent looking for you."

"Right," Gaara muttered, feeling slightly flustered, "Thank you."


	19. Chapter 5b

The Daimyo's audience chamber was a small octagonal room just behind what, for the sake of argument, one might call his 'throne room'. Soft bamboo panels hung from every wall and soft tatami mats covered the floor. The air had a soft whiff of incense working its way through it, but it generally felt better ventilated than some of the other areas of the castle. In fact it was cold, quite uncomfortably so, as if the designer had aimed to filter in only the chilliest breezes from the outside. The daimyo had apologised for this on his first meeting with Gaara, saying that he had the room built that way because he found that people tended to wind up unnecessary meetings faster if they were cold and spare him unnecessary prattle. The Kazekage privately wondered if he ought to try something similar in his own office.

The daimyo of Seishin, Gunnar Bernhund, was a small old man, not quite as old or small as Tsuchikage, but getting there as even Gaara had a few centimetres or so on him. Age hadn't lessened him though. He was a bear-like, ferocious man, even in his appearance. Sinewy muscle grew right up his shoulders and down his back. He trudged into a room in heavy black boots and ninja trousers, but his upper half was bare except for a giant steel chain which he had slung in interlocking loops over his torso, three over each shoulder. He wore the thick grey stubble over his angular chin and the left side of his scalp. The right side was shorn smooth, showing off the burnt umber scar that ran from the nape of his neck to just above his sunken feral black eyes. Those and even his broad nose were lost under the craggy eyebrows that dominated his ursine face. Traces of wrinkles marked his yellow-stained mouth, causing it to produce slightly in a rough thin line that ended abruptly were part of his lower lip was missing. At some point of his ninja career he had decided to have curved metal plates inserted over each of the metacarpal bones in each hand. They protruded over the knuckles like claws each finishing in a razor-sharp point several millimetres above the fingertip. Everything about him radiated the fact that here was a man who had led Seishin successfully through decades of war.

When Gaara entered the conference room, he found the daimyo seated back-to-front in his chair, leaning over the hexagonal table and effectively holding a glaring contest with the Tsuchikage. It was impossible to say who was winning.

"Ah," the daimyo grunted, breaking it off at the sound of the door closing, "It's the Kazekage-kid. We can start." The daimyo was not one to bother much with titles or suffixes. Unless of course they were his own or attached to a female whom he as a gender seemed to treat with a hint of nervousness. Gaara, for example, had after being introduced to him remained plain 'Gaara', but his sister had become 'Temari-san'. Then again the Hokage, once someone reminded him of her name, had also continued as 'Tsunade-san' and not say 'Tsunade-sama', as was more fitting for some of Kage status. His respect for females only seemed to go so far and he never bothered remembering anyone's name for longer than about ten minutes at a time, whatever their gender might be.

Gaara took the vacant seat beside Tsunade, adjusting his robes and tilting back his hat as he sat down. The Mizukage gave him a nod from opposite him and the Tsuchikage just shot him a glare, evidently in a foul mood. The seat beside Gaara, facing the daimyo, was vacant and waiting for the Raikage's arrival. No one exactly envied him the arrangement. The daimyo did seem to spit a little as he talked.

Needless to say, it was the local lord who opened the meeting. Glancing around at the assembled party, he thumped his fist on the table to call for silence. Hardly a necessary move since no one was actually talking. "So," he began, growling slightly into his stumble as he stroked it, "The Raikage has sent word again, regretfully announcing that he is going to be still further delayed. He begs us to start the mission without him. Unless anybody has a particular problem with this, I suggest that is what we do."

"Has he sent word about what exactly is keeping him?" the Mizukage inquired, interrupting him as she leaned forward in her seat, "It's hardly like him to leave himself out of the action."

"Not a gypsy's mother's eyelid," came the languid response, "I did send him a message offering him the use of a few shinobi – no questions asked – in case he was in a tight spot were some local knowledge might come in handy. He said he didn't need them. That was that." The daimyo spat as he shook a hand in a vague dismissive gesture. "I'm sure he can handle it."

"That being the case," the Tsuchikage put in, firmly changing the topic, "It does leave us with the question of what we are going to do about the matter at hand." He folded his hands on the table, glowering into the round.

"Have we managed to ascertain the facts any further?" Tsunade folding her own hands, leaning forward so that her loosely bound kimono top had its work cut out to preventing the Tsuchikage from getting more than a mere eyeful of her ample cleavage. "I can't believe Madara is effectively raising another army under our noses without anyone else noticing."

"Well, he's not raising it directly," the Mizukage put in, waving a manicured set of nails, "We believe someone has been trying to do it for him, whether its under his orders or even with his knowledge is unknown."

"You suspect he may not know that somebody is raising an army in his name?" Gaara stared at her in surprise.

"It is possible," the Mizukage sighed, playing with a strand of her long hair and looking away, "At this stage we should rule nothing out."

"What do we know?" Tsunade put in, frowning and effectively repeating her earlier question.

"As good as nothing." It was the daimyo who spoke this time. He rocked his chair back onto all four of its legs, letting his chains rattle, and scratched his head thoughtfully. "We've suspected for some years that your missing-nin Orochimaru had a research facility on one of our outlying islands. With his apparent death the operation was closed down and many of its inmates left - but others had nowhere else to go and its quite a fertile place, so many more of them remained." He shook his head, sighing, "Now it seems someone has taken charge of them again. We've received worrying reports of activity and multiple kidnappings from local villages…"

A hand slapped down onto the table with a furious force. "If you thought Orochimaru had a facility there why didn't you stop him?" an outraged Tsunade demanded, glaring at the daimyo.

"Because the island in question belongs to the Granite country," the Mizukage answered for him, flipping her hair off her shoulders. As the water country was geographically and politically the closest to Seishin, it stood to reason that she would be well aware of the situation. "It's practically impossible to get them to co-operate about anything. If anyone steps foot on their territory without permission, they're likely to take it as an act of war."

"Perfect for Orochimaru," Tsunade groaned, placing her hands over her forehead.

"What about us?" Gaara interrupted, "Are we likely to be met with hostility if we go near this island?"

"Not from the Granite country itself, no," the daimyo supplied, grunting, "You're lucky. We're on _slightly_ better terms with their current leader. After a joint request from myself and the Mizukage and oh… so much pandering, they've just about granted permission for you to go and investigate that one island. Only that one island though. You can bet your dad's behind they'll have more sentries swarming every nearby landmass than you could hit with a killerwhale. If you so much as sneeze in the wrong direction, they'll have you stripped down to the bone and sent back home to your mama in a matchbox." He waved a fist in unnecessary enthusiasm and then drummed it loudly on the table to finish.

"I see," Gaara stared at him, slightly lost in his colourful imagery. Tsunade looked slightly ill, but then she was sitting next to him, in the path of occasional stray flecks of spittle.

"Don't expect any help from Seishin while you're out there either," the daimyo added, clicking his teeth, "At least not yet. We're still negotiating about _that_ one." He growled, mechanically picking his teeth with one of his claws.

"You have to remember that the Granite and the Mind were at war until five years ago," the Mizukage supplied, eyeing Seishin's daimyo rather warily.

"Something like age old enemies, as I understand it," the Tsuchikage put in, flexing his fingers, "Alright. So who shall we send? The daimyo very kindly offered to supply us with a couple of ships and escorts as far as the coast. I say we make full use of them and send a couple of scouting parties to flank this island and see what we can find out regarding its current inhabitants and their activities."

"There should be some tactical maps to help you plan this out better," the daimyo interrupted, fishing about in a stack of papers on his side of the desk. He clicked his tongue appreciatively as he found what he was looking for. "They're half a decade out of date, but they should at least have most of the geography laid out straight. You can go bet your daddy's arse there'll be no maps coming from Granite. That's for damn sure." He paused noticing the Mizukage especially staring him. "We were at war five years ago," he grinned, "Back then we didn't ask their 'permission' to go stepping on their land... or to chart it."

Tsunade took the map from him wordlessly, spreading it out of the table and scanning the neat square grid and its hand-drawn contents. Gaara leant forward, looking over her shoulder, as in front of them the remaining Kages also rose, straining to see the outline.

"Here," the Tsuchikage pointed to a section of clear-looking coastline, "And here. I suggest we send a party out to both of these points, giving them opportunity to scout across both the east and western sides of the island before heading back to the Seishin mainland. It should give us plenty of data on the majority of the island."

Tsunade shook her head as examined the maps again. "This research facility was established after these maps were written?"

The Daimyo grunted. His arms were folded flat over his chest. "Even your Orochimaru would have had a job playing with his test tubes while the Granite and the Mind were at war."

"So then this must be a relatively recent facility," her brow furrowed as Tsunade shook her head as she stepped back from the table, running a hand over her eyes, "It's hard to believe they've managed to create such a powerful threat so quickly…"

The Mizukage nodded, sweeping back her long hair over her bare shoulders as she straightened up. "Perhaps they've been lucky," she suggested, glaring down at the table with folded arms, "Perhaps they're merely continuing work started elsewhere. Perhaps this is all a ruse designed to distract us from something else. Whatever it is will be for the scouting party to find out."

"Who will lead the operation?" Gaara inquired, glancing up at the two women. There was a suggestive silence from the other Kages. He suddenly noticed they were all staring at him. Even the daimyo gave him a meaningful hum and tilt of the hand.

Gaara straightened up fully, staring impassively back into the round. "Did I just volunteer?"


	20. Chapter 5c

"So what's going on?" Kankurou demanded, expertly fishing a slice of salmon from his chopsticks. Breakfast was being served in Suna and Konoha's communal lounge on long clap-down tables and chairs brought in by a team of genin under Momoka's supervision. It was surprisingly comfortable in an official sort-of-way, with bright white tablecloths and padded seats and a very large selection of buffet-style dishes laid out on elegant platters in front of them. There were spreads of different fish and cheeses and hams as well as thinly sliced fruit and vegetables with large crusty rolls of freshly baked bread. One of the younger boys from the party that had originally met the Suna envoy was currently hovering about with a large jug of orange juice, while a pair of female genin were attending trolleys laden respectively with a variety of rice and other grain products and a large selection of different teas and coffees. Clearly Seishin took its hosting duties seriously – but then this was a daimyo's residence and not merely a ninja village.

Naruto, sat opposite Kankurou, was downing a large glass of milk. "Yeah," he cried, "That's what I wanna know!" He sat the empty glass down on the table with a thump.

"Naruto," Sakura snapped beside him, as she glanced up from a bowl of rice, "Be nice to Gaara. He's just out of a really long meeting." Her languid tone indicated that she was probably picking fault with Naruto more out of habit than any real irritation, which was why he just flinched guiltily and ignored her. She then stole the last baby octopus right from underneath his nose.

Temari promptly swiped the squid he was clearly angling for next. "So," she inquired, dropping the squid on a spare plate she had readied in one hand upon her youngest brother's entrance into the room. "What's up?"

"We leave in about four hours," the Kazekage informed them, still standing in the doorway. Kankurou groaned loudly into his sliced cod. Apparently he had been enjoying having a roof over his head and a proper bed to sleep on after months of war campaigns and travelling.

Temari merely shrugged. "I figured as much." She continued to fill the plate with a variety of items from around the table and then held it out towards her youngest brother with a glare that all but screamed 'You are going to come here and have some breakfast or I am going to go over there and force-feed you. What's it going to be?'.

Gaara gave a hesitant sigh and trudged unwillingly towards the empty chair beside her, all the while staring at the plate of food as if it contained maggots and worms and not a rather nice selection of fish and salad. Temari grinned in happy victory. "He'll have some green tea as well if you don't mind," she sassily told the unlucky genin by the beverage cart, who flushed bright red and immediately sprang over a pot of hot water fussing at it with a whisk in hand. Gaara sighed and began picking at a few leaves of baby spinach in a highly lacklustre manner.

A few years ago, Temari would never have gotten away with that amount of cheek. In fact she would have risked life and limb trying to make her youngest brother do anything he didn't want to do, even if it was only eating breakfast. These days Gaara had mellowed to a point were he would even accept a certain amount of sisterly fussing, providing it wasn't in a too obvious manner in front of people with whom he need to maintain a degree of aplomb, like say the Suna council. Not that she would ever dream of taking it that far, forcing him to eat regular meals and wear a jumper in cold weather was about Temari's limit. She couldn't even make him sleep, but, then again, nobody could… _Actually no_, he silently amended that statement, _almost nobody could_…

"Where are we going?" Naruto demanded, breaking into a roll he had heavily topped with ham and cheese, "Somewhere good?"

Sakura scowled at him. "What makes you think _we're_ going anywhere? Gaara's going with his team." She made as if to slap the back of his head, then thought better of it. There were still vivid memories of the last time she had hit him while he had his mouth full and the fountain of semi-chewed food that had been regurgitated over the table as a result.

"Actually no, you're coming," Gaara corrected her swiftly, taking his steaming cup of tea from the trembling genin's stubby fingers. "This will be a joint mission between the Konoha and Suna side of the alliance."

"You're taking Naruto?" Kankurou looked up in surprise, a large piece of yellowtail halfway towards his mouth.

Sakura was struggling to keep control of a large gulp of orange juice she had just had the misfortune to have taken a few seconds before Gaara's pronouncement. "Really?" she began, swallowing and putting her glass down in a hurry, "But I thought…"

"There was a general agreement among the Kages that Naruto is best kept were we can see him," came another voice from the door, Tsunade strode in her pale blonde pigtails streaming out behind her. She glanced down at the heavily laden breakfast table, and then shot a meaningful glare at Shizune who was tottering along behind her, carrying a stack of paperwork. She obediently picked up two clean plates from the two neatly presented seats beside Sakura and began filling them, all the while trying to keep her assorted documents wedged under one elbow.

"So we decided on a six-man team," Tsunade went on, ignoring her, "Three from Konoha and three from Suna. It was going to be a mixed band with Ao and a few from the other villages, but in the end they were needed elsewhere." In fact the Mizukage had assembled a team of her own, which she was taking as an envoy to the Zeppeki village in the land of Granite hoping to secure more favourable terms and aid for their mission. Kirigakure was the most local of all the five major villages and also the most influential in the region, so it made sense for her to be the one to try and accomplish that goal, given the hostility between Seishin and Kagougan, the country of Granite. The few remaining shinobi not included in either undertaking were to stay behind helping Tsunade and the Tsuchikage analyse any data retrieved by the scouting party and, of course, function as bodyguards while their leaders remained in a strange land.

"Who's the third person from Konoha?" Sakura asked, as she hurried to help Shizune abandoning her own plate in the process. Opposite them, Temari had finished her breakfast and was eyeing her youngest brother wearily, as he made no motion to eat anything further now that he had his tea and just sat there sipping it quietly, as he listened to the conversation. Kankarou on the other hand was now on his fourth helping.

"Huh?" Shizune looked surprised at Sakura's question, "Kakashi's with you, naturally."

"Kakashi-sensei is here?" Naruto's jaw hung open. Even Sakura paused in surprise.

"Naruto," Tsunade sighed. She was almost at the door leading to the corridor of bedrooms in which the Konoha shinobi slept. Clearly she was intending to head back to her room as soon as she was done here. "I did tell you yesterday that it was an escort of two people per Kage. Who did you think my other backup was if not Kakashi? He is one of the foremost ninja in our village and he even almost became a temporary Hokage while I was," she paused, looking for the right word, "unwell." The time she had spent unconscious following the devastating Akatsuki invasion of Konoha was clearly something of an uncomfortable fact for her.

"Oh, yeah, right," Naruto mumbled, turning away slightly, "I just thought… you know… maybe…" He glanced sideways at a spot in front of one of the fireplaces were the pet pig was tucking into a large ornate china bowl full of porridge and vegetables.

Tsunade saw what he was looking at and sighed. "No, Tonton doesn't count," she informed him coldly. Shizune winced. Affronted the pig in question glanced up and squealed loudly, until Sakura tossed it a few string beans to shut it up.

"Where is Kakashi-sensei anyway?" Sakura asked, taking the two plates of food from an overwhelmed Shizune, "I haven't seen him at all."

"He's around somewhere," Tsunade shrugged. "Hey you," she turned to the genin in charge of the hot beverages, just as the one in charge of grains was filling bowls with rice and muesli at Shizune's request, "Two large cups of coffee please. Delivered to my room. I'll be taking a working breakfast." Then she disappeared out of sight down the Konoha corridor.

"I think I saw Kakashi earlier," Temari offered, giving up on both her brothers and getting out of seat so she could go prepare for the mission ahead, "He had breakfast hours ago and left around the time of the Kage conference. I think he wanted to scout around for information useful to the Hokage."

"I'll go have a look for him then," Sakura smiled at her, arranging the various plates and bowls on a tray helpfully provided by a more thoughtful genin, "I haven't seen him in forever…" She left down the corridor nevertheless, helping Shizune with her burden of breakfast and paperwork.

This left Naruto alone with Kankurou and a surprisingly serene Gaara, who drained his cup, pushed away his plate of almost untouched food and left down the Suna corridor without another word. Kankurou glanced at Naruto.

"See you in four hours?" he offered, pushing away his empty plate and hurrying to disappear after his siblings.

"Right," Naruto sighed, regarding the assembled Seishin genin with a wary eye, "I suppose that just leaves me and all this food…"

The male genin hurried forward, lifting his jug, "Do you want orange juice?"


	21. Chapter 5d

It was a cold, crisp morning. Chilly salty air whipped across Kankurou's face as he stood with Naruto and Sakura in the bay by the village's docks, watching the waves crashing against the hard stony beach and waiting until the rest of the group was ready to depart. It was a tiny place in the middle of nowhere, hardly remarkable at all except as a pit-stop for travellers out on Seishin's southern border. The village, barely more than a few houses with a tavern, sat just out of sight on a rocky gray ledge, but the tiny cove in which they had built the simple barnacle covered wooden pier that held their boats seemed to catch the wind more than shelter anyone from it. Irate air bounced from wall to rocky wall, becoming ever more ferocious with each leap and hurling itself across the small party of travellers with punishing spite. Temari had planted herself further forward in the stones beside Gaara, her arms hugging her clothes and her head bowed inwards against the wind, as she watched his exchange with Ren and Kakashi.

"This were I leave you," Ren was saying, shifting uncomfortably in the blustery weather, "I've arranged with the locals to give you a few days supply of food. You'll find it packed up and waiting in the boats." His hands were hidden in the pockets of his flak jacket, apparently to keep them warm, and the salty air played havoc with his wavy hair. The slight tilt of his head though indicated two small fishing boats bobbing vivacious up and down on the stormy water just by the pier. They were small wooden things with flattened hulls and steep thin sides, just barely suitable for the task ahead. Further along the beach, either side of the steep stone hauled pathway up to the village, Momoka and a slightly older Seishin chuunin by the name of Kai were waiting for Ren. There had been no genin on this escort mission. They were all safely tucked up in the capital.

"Thanks," Kakashi lazily ran a hand across his own beleaguered white hair, shuffling his feet, "Are we likely to be seeing you on the way back?" The wind whistled around him, snagging at his uniform.

Ren nodded curtly. "My team have orders to remain here on stand-by until you return," he paused, and then smirked a little, "Or until we get orders to come and assist you." He winked suggestively at the idea of real action.

Somewhere beneath the mask he always wore, Kakashi seemed to be smiling, but it was Gaara who spoke for them. "Thank you," he murmured softly, turning away and heading towards the silent village pier, "Come on. Let's move out."

Temari immediately appeared at his shoulder, her dark blonde ponytails flaring in the wind. Kankurou fell into place behind them, his heavy footsteps crunching on the cobbles. They could hear Naruto complaining about something to his own team captain, but what they couldn't quite decipher over the roar of the elements. Dark gray rock enclosed them on all sides, casting deep shadows over the bay and making it hard to see out over the ocean, yet this was nevertheless meant to be one of the easier point from which to embark on this stretch of coastline. Seishin's waters were notoriously rough and rocky, making any type of sailing difficult, but also providing the collection of islands with some degree of protection from invasion. The rest of its natural defence at least came from the equally impenetrable wilderness of forests and crumbling granite mountains.

There was meant to be something special about the rock here. Gaara considered the thought as he let his siblings take the lead up onto the pier. Naruto and his party were slowly coming up behind them and Ren seemed to have gone back to his own shinobi. Apparently some of the mountains' stone had chakra repelling properties. Unwisely perhaps he hadn't exactly been paying an overwhelming amount of attention to that particular part of his briefing on Seishin country and its area. There had been more pressing issues at the time and you did occasionally get this kind of phenomena cropping up all over the place, but he did remember that this partly accounted for the particularly virulent nature of the war-like shinobi lines painstakingly bred and raised among this hostile terrain. He also recalled that the country of Granite, Kakougan, had rock that was in places even worse. Gaara sighed, adjusting his gourd as he walked. It certainly would make for a fun mission.

"Do you think we'll be able to get there a little more comfortably this time?" Kankurou mumbled. He was kneeling to pull the flimsy white tarpaulin cover from the boat assigned to them. The wind nearly ripped it out of his hands and he found himself wrestling with a suddenly highly animate plastic sheet. Temari hurried to catch the other end, and help him stow it under one of the seats. They were hardly more than planks of wood, stretched from one side of the boat to the other, but there seemed to be just about enough room for three people on a short voyage. There was even some much needed storage space built into the ends of the vessel.

"Probably," she panted, climbing aboard on all fours and almost collapsing into the bow, "The wind's not so much of a problem… and they did mark the most dangerous currents on our map…" She gasped, watching as in front of her Kankurou mused over the boat's single collapsible mast.

He grunted, giving up any kind of plan he reached down and attempted to grapple the damn thing upright. "Forgive me… if…. Ow!" he winced as he managed to hit himself over the head with part of the bulky wooden poll, "If … given our vast combined… Ouch!" This time he had caught his hand in some kind of hinge. He sucked his thumb attempting to steady the mast and prevent them from capsizing with all three of his remaining limbs. "…combined sailing knowledge I am not exactly glowing with confidence here," Kankurou finished, his back propping up the mast as another end appeared to swing round and hit him in the face.

Temari closed her eyes. Forming a seal with her hands, she focused her chakra deep inside herself, letting it rise up through every pore in her body. Slowly the jerking of the boat subsided. The wind howled with as much ferocity everywhere else, but around their little boat it barely moved leaving them in a pocket of calm still air.

"Thank you," Kankurou gasped, finally hoisting the mast back into position. His job was now just a tiny bit easier.

"Don't mention it," Temari shot back at him, readjusting herself in the stern so that she sat with just a little more dignity, "It's just because I'm awesome."

Kankurou mumbled something unrepeatable and he finally locked the stubborn wooden pole into position. He let the sail swing down and out in a wide gaping arch. "Just get us there without drowning us and then maybe I'll consider the idea," the ninja groaned, crumpling down against the hull, "Are you coming, Gaara?"

From his ridged position up on the pier, their youngest sibling eyed the pair of them with evident unease. He took in the tiny narrow space in the cramped fishing boat and then turned his head out towards the vast horizon of endless water, billowing in the wind. Involuntarily he took a step backwards.

"It'll calm down when we're out of this bay," Kankurou offered, sitting up and beckoning slightly as he rubbed each of his aching body parts in turn. The argument was hardly convincing given his own earlier doubts. Gaara gave him a blank look.

"I've got it covered," Temari reassured him, reaching gently out towards him with an encouraging smile, "Come on. For the mission."

This reminder seemed to work a little. Gaara swallowed slightly and hesitantly took a step forward. Sea spray splayed up against the weathered pier. He froze, staring again at the turbulent water.

"It's not that bad," Naruto had come up behind his friend, regarding him with a mixture of concern and amusement, "I had to stow away in the bottom of a fishing trawler to get here. Trust me. That was much worse! Especially when the captain caught me…" He wrinkled his nose as Gaara turned and regarded him in amazement, shaking his head. Their comparatively pleasant journey had cost him enough, even with the support of his siblings, but then he had always disliked sea travel and wasn't really very used to it. In the wetter climate of Konoha, shinobi grew up much more at ease with ships. Somewhere lower down on the opposite side of the pier, Kakashi had already readied their boat and Sakura was busily checking the supplies.

"Oh for the love of…" Kankurou snapped. Reaching past Temari, he grabbed his brother's elbow and pulled gently, trying to get him to move. It wouldn't have had much of an effect, except that Naruto decided to help out by pushing the Kazekage hard on the back. The resulting force sent both brothers toppling into the bottom of the boat. It rebounded uncomfortably on the murky salt water and Temari found herself holding on for dear life, narrowly avoiding colliding with the freely revolving sail.

"Right," she hissed, her eyes still wide with shock and her body flung dangerously backwards, as she looked up at Naruto, "Let's just go, shall we?"


	22. Chapter 5e

Dusk was slowly turning into night by the time they reached their destination. The little boat bobbed lazily over the rippling water with its mast lowered and its passengers crouched low to keep themselves as inconspicuous as possible in the fading light. Weather-beaten stone loomed up ahead of them, carved into strange shapes by the extremes of time, and peering sedately through a mess of sand and coarse brush. The darkened silhouettes stretched upwards into the air, becoming eerie stone monoliths fracturing the horizon.

Gaara leapt from the side of the boat, using his sand to catch himself before he touched he water. Keeping low, he darted forwards into the gloomy spread of coastline, attempting to hide both himself and his gourd in the encroaching shadows. The place stank. His face twisted in disgust at the stench, which seemed to grow ever stronger the further he went inland. It was a dank putrid smell, as if there was something rotting right below the surface of the soil. The sandy earth was even sticking to his feet. Glancing down, he realised that it was covered in a film of slimy greenish purple liquid, running out into the ocean.

He turned, watching as his siblings dragged their boat ashore, attempting to hide it near a patch of dead foliage. For a place he had been told was highly fertile, it certainly seemed to be lacking plantlife. Almost everything with leaves appeared to have turned brown, or at least yellow, with a few of the harder plants clinging on despite it all. He knelt a few steps beyond the silt-laden shore, examining a bedraggled shrub as he waited for his companions to catch up. A tail-less lizard fled from view as he lifted a near dead branch and the invasion of gastropods around the stem shifted slightly, squirming at the disturbance. Gaara frowned, noticing the slimy muck caking the base of the plant. The mess of brittle branches above it bore hardly any leaves at all.

"This place really sucks," Kankurou groaned, squelching in the mud behind him, "And what's that smell?"

"Something's died," Gaara informed him coldly as he stood up, wiping his hands on his ninja uniform, "Probably half of this island." He glared at his brother, who was grimacing and attempting to hide his face in his cat-eared hood in an effort to evade the stench. Temari was scouting an empty tree line up ahead, the beginning of what might - in a healthier state - have been called a forest or even a jungle. Now it was a vegetative graveyard marked by blackening trunks and crumbling vines.

They joined her as she investigated what had once been a particularly majestic old tree with long deciduous branches. Now it was an especially dead tree with its bark slowly crumbling away, exposing barren white-gray wood. Temari tapped her foot against the base of the trunk. It collapsed in on itself, leaving a gigantic hole just above the roots. The Suna ninja shook her sandaled foot to dislodge the decaying wood, scowling at the sight before her. This tree and the others around it seemed to be rotting from the inside out.

Kankurou grunted beside her, shifting uneasily on his feet as he examined the dead forest around him. "This is hardly what I signed up for," he muttered, attempting to wipe his slime-covered sandals on a nearby path of dead grass. His sister glared at him. "Well, it isn't," he snapped back, "We were meant to be fighting a possible invading army, not being stunk to death on a polluted animal graveyard."

"Be careful what you wish for," Temari sighed, catching his elbow and dragging him along after Gaara, who was rapidly disappearing into the trees ahead, "We could still end up fighting."

Kankurou frowned, eyeing his surroundings with wary distaste. Shaking off his sister's hand, he fell into a natural crouched sprint, darting from tree stem to tree stem as a mere black streak in the half-light. Temari matched his speed easily, her years of ninja training allowing her to gracefully replicate any movements he made. In front of them Gaara was picking up speed too. They had a lot of ground to cover and it wasn't safe to linger too long in any one place.

By unspoken agreement they kept close to the ground, flitting from shadow to shadow to move forward. They didn't take to the trees as they might have done in Konoha or the Seishin mainland. The dried-out branches could never have taken their weight, so the ground remained their only option. Still there was reasonable cover, even in a dead forest, and they were used to the open plains of the desert. By comparison this was easy terrain, if much less pleasant.

Ahead of them, Gaara slowed slightly, apparently confused by something. He caught himself against an old rotting stump, letting a trace of a breeze ruffle through his hair, as his siblings appeared to either side of him. Following his brother's unbreaking line of vision, Kankurou whistled softly through his teeth. "Nice view," he muttered, sarcasm drenching every syllable.

They were standing at the edge of a cliff. The ground tumbled away beneath them, revealing layers of cut sediment, as it lowered itself into what had once been acres of boundless forest. It wasn't anymore. It was dead.

Where the plants on their level struggled to survive, down there they had failed. There was nothing to see but whole waves of black rotting stumps and bare earth, curling round what had once been a small river. It was now a rank flow of dirty mud brown liquid, poisoning the land rather than feeding it. Even from their vantage point, they could see the remains of dead fish and animals near its banks.

"What on earth happened here?" Temari whispered, staring at the desolation in wide-eyed bewilderment, "What could cause this?"

Gaara shook his head, unable to reply. Carefully he stepped closer to the edge of the precipice. With the night so unusually bright, the dark red of his ninja gear and his crimson hair shone vividly against the black and gray. He stared down into the decayed valley, examining the drop beneath him. With a wave of his fingers, he summoned a little of his sand, steadying it into a platform just in front of his feet. He leapt forward, narrowly avoiding a gust of wind as his sister unhooked her giant fan from her back, swinging it in a wide arch to propel herself forward and twisting it so that she glided lithely down swirling air currents from the safety of her folded paper.

Kankurou grumbled something incoherent as he flung long strings of his own chakra from his fingertips, catching them on protruding rocks from the stony overhang in front of them. Cautiously testing each hold with a firm yank of his hands, he began to abseil down the cliff face, while his feet anchored him with additional chakra on the cold granite surface. Even though he was as adept – if not more so – at climbing as any other ninja, it took him far longer to descend than either of his siblings, who were practically airborne by nature. A fact he lost no time in whining about as he rejoined his siblings on the surface.

"You'd think one of you could have given me a lift," he grunted, irritably kicking aside a few stray fishbones next to his sister as she stooped near the river, hitching up the ends of her black kimono with one hand as she thoughtfully examined the layers of dried scum on the water's edge. Her normally pleasant-looking face was locked in an unhappy scowl.

"Did you always moan this much or is this a new thing you've picked up now you're a division leader?" she hissed, standing up and staring at a nearby tree. Her attention was fixed on her investigation and she clearly didn't relish the interruption.

"Honestly," Kankurou shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets, "I think I'm just more relaxed now I'm with you guys again. I missed you."

A slightly softened glint in Temari's eye as she briefly tilted her head in his direction, suggested that the feeling was mutual and much appreciated. Otherwise though she ignored him, choosing instead to dig her hands into her hips and glower at her surroundings. In theory, the little bowl-shaped valley they had stumbled into might once have been very beautiful. The last few rays of light had disappeared from the sky, but the layers of granite and other rock around them were so heavy in quartz that it shone in the moonlight, making it look as if the starry heaven had curved down to touch the ground around them. Back when this had been a thriving jungle, with buzzing insects and the cries of other wildlife, Temari imaged that it must have felt as if you had stumbled upon another world, a tiny little paradise hidden in the skies. Now it was dead. The life had been sucked away and there was nothing except a rotting wasteland for as far as the eye could see… or, indeed, the nose could smell. She had gotten so used to it she could hardly notice it unless she concentrated, but in fact the stench was worse than ever.

"This has got to be some kind of human intrusion," she murmured, shaking her head as she turned to her brother, "There's no way this was a natural disaster."

He nodded, rolling his eyes. "Given the fact that this whole place smells like a sewage plant," he reflected, scratching his chin, "Yeah, it really doesn't look natural."

"Temari! Kankurou!"

That was Gaara. In a flash his two older siblings had sprinted up the riverbank. Neither of them slowed until they caught sight of a maroon ninja outfit and large gourd, half-hidden in an outcrop of trees on the opposite shore. It was the work of seconds to vault the water, with both of them landing on either side of their younger brother.

It wasn't really as if he had strayed very far away from them. It could be more than say ten, twelve metres upstream of where Kankurou and Temari had been minutes before, but the dense cluster of trees in this area made it difficult to see anything very much passed all the intertwined dead branches. There was a definite opening though, just slightly askance from the bank, and the hard well-trodden earth running through it suggested it was well used.

Gaara pointed towards something just through that hole.

"Oh… oh god…" Temari whispered, horrified.


	23. Chapter 5f

"This is so boring!" Naruto sighed, hoping onto another rock. The bright full moon glowed against its mantle of glittering black, barely touching the dark flowing waves as they kissed the shore. Wet stone stretched upwards and onwards for as far as the eye could see.

"Honestly Naruto, will you ever grow up?" Sakura growled, rounding on him with predictable speed, "This is a mission. Try to act a little more mature!"

"But Sakura-chan…" he began, rocking backwards and forwards on his rear with his hands clasped over his sandals, "There's nothing to do…"

"What do you mean nothing to do?" his comrade snapped, marching up towards him with surprising ease given that she was actually climbing up a formation of loosely shaped basalt. "We're scouting for enemy activity in an unknown area. There could be a whole army around here – and you're complaining of being bored?"

"Yeah." He let himself topple backwards from his perch, flipping neatly down the slope into a crouching position some way from the pink-haired female. "There's nothing to do… There's nobody anywhere along this stretch of beach so why are we wasting time here?"

She glowered at him. Her pale skin looked almost luminescent underneath the clear moonlight and her hair had a strange silver sheen mixed among the pink. She moved over the fallen stone as nimbly as a cat, her figure a patch of darkened red and shining white among the colourless rock and the stars. For a moment, Naruto found himself just gazing at her, marvelling at what the night could do to such a familiar face.

It cost him. The next thing he knew her fist collided with his jaw.

"Don't go wishing for trouble, you moron," she hissed, stalling herself for another blow even as he went flying, "You never know what you might get. No responsible ninja underestimates any opponent, you Grade A knuckle-brained…"

"Actually Naruto has a point," Kakashi interrupted, appearing beside her from his tour of the far coastline, "We really should hurry this up. You ready?" His comment was aimed rather pointedly at Naruto, who was lying spread-eagled down near the nearer the waterline where the basalt turned into shingle. The part of the island they had come upon was almost all like that. Bare rock rose up towards the sky, fading in the night to a mere shimmering shadow. No plants populated any part of the outcrop and there seemed to be very little animal life. Even the birds kept their distance. The ocean leapt languidly at the shore before them, almost belying how difficult it had been to get here, but so far they had found nothing except more rock.

Kakashi stood with Sakura, about halfway up the basalt cliff, his dark ninja outfit almost invisible against the night sky, watching Naruto sit up and rub his head. It was quite a bright night and so seeing was easy, especially for people like them. Ninjas traditionally reveled in the dark. Well, Kakashi did. The other absent member of Team 7, Sasuke, had taken darkness itself so deeply into his soul that it was practically pouring out of his every orifice and Sai, wherever he was, could probably list it as his next of kin. Naruto and Sakura had just about adequately developed nightvision and that was it.

Unperturbed the blonde boy sprang to his feet, baring his fists. "Right," he cried, apparently delighted to finally be getting some action, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_." Instantly the shore was teaming with another thirty wriggling, waving, warbling copies of Naruto. The one that was presumably the original nodded approvingly at his fellows before hoisting himself forwards. "Let's go!" he bellowed, jumping up the cliff. His fists were whirling around his head in enthusiastic overtime. The others rushed in pursuit, winching each up in two and threes in their eagerness to get to work. Swinging himself into position beside an amused Sakura, the original roared and cheered as they raced up the cliff, pounding the air over his head as the first ones swung themselves over the basalt outcrop.

Then it happened. Something threw them back. An unnatural howl filled the air as like an array of fluttering Naruto-shaped toys, the little army fell helplessly backwards towards the shore. Clouds of dust sparked over the waves as they popped into oblivion.

"What's that?" Sakura cried, turning to Naruto in surprise. He shook his head, bewildered. The information he absorbed from his disappearing clones was too fragmented to mean anything. There was a raging hiss above them and Sakura gripped his arm, swallowing hard.

"Get ready," Kakashi whispered, tugging a kunai from a pocket. He sprang forward, veering heavily away from his former pupils as he climbed up the cliff.

Pushing herself away from Naruto, Sakura reached for her own weapons. "See you at the top," she murmured to her friend, heading upwards in the direction opposite to Kakashi, a kunai gripped firmly between her teeth.

"Right," Naruto nodded tensely, preparing the seal for another ten shadow clones. The majority barely acknowledged him as they bounded upwards for second strike, but one remained behind, reaching toward his outstretched hands.

"_Rasengan_!" As his first nine clones were thrown back and bursting all around him, Naruto flung himself behind his swirling chakra ball, driving it through any resistance. Something damp and sticky clung to his skin, but he twisted and turned in its grasp, falling through the opposing force as his chakra ball vanished into swirling blue ribbons. He rolled on the floor, rising into a crouch. His fists ready to take on any enemy.

There was none in sight. He turned, scouring his surroundings. He was on a rocky plateau, which seemed to taper off into a shadowy valley before it abruptly turned into mountain again. Large round rocks lay shattered all around him, but there was no one around. He stood up, reaching carefully into his weapons pouch for a kunai.

Then he saw it. Several metres to his right, a pretty pink bob was hoisting herself up from the cliff. Something was building in front of her; something dark; something menacing; something that was snaking over the ground towards her very fast.

"Sakura!" he screamed, racing towards her. His arm drew back, throwing the kunai into the figure. It twisted and seemed to split apart, letting the knife fly straight through it. Naruto gasped, lunging forward to skid lengthwise in front of his team-mate just in time to catch it as it pounced.

It wasn't like fighting a real foe. There was just a cold wet force that clung to his limbs, holding him down. He snarled, snatching at it with his hands.

"Naruto!" He could feel a kunai scraping over his skin. Sakura's worried face loomed over him as the force lessened and he sat up gasping. Something was building in front of them again. It billowed like smoke, a dark grayish-green in the starlight. A sharp acrid smell seemed to permeate the air around it, almost burning their lungs as they breathed it in. Glancing sideways at Sakura to check she was safe, Naruto rose to his feet again, reaching for another weapon.

Then he gasped. It wasn't just one. From every crack in the rocks before them, more and more of the smoke monsters bled into existence. They grew up into the night: two; three; four; ten; twenty… a small army of vicious insubstantial opponents.

"Take this!" Jumping before Naruto, Sakura swung her fist into the ground. The force sent both rock and the creatures flying. They swung fragmented in the air, reforming themselves as they drifted together.

"Let's get ready to do that again," Sakura muttered to her companion, crouching with both fists balled in readiness.

"Right," Naruto replied, nodding briefly at her. He jumped forward just as she leapt out, circling around the ledge to outflank their enemies. The creatures split up, wafting down over the ground in pairs and threes towards the shinobi.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" Naruto turned into six of himself just as Sakura swung her fist down into the ground a second time. The creatures sprawled into the air once more. "_Rasengan_!" Three Narutos followed them, spinning balls of blue chakra in their hands, throwing them into the drifting creatures.

"Did it work?" Naruto gasped, landing as his two clones beside him exploded into nothingness again. They were much too close to the precipice. If this fight were to go on much longer, they would have to move further inland before some one fell.

"See for yourself," Sakura whispered, her eyes still fixed forwards.

Dreading what he would find, Naruto turned. Sure enough, there in front of them, the strange smoke creatures were slowly reforming.


	24. Chapter 5g

"That's just sick," Kankurou muttered, paling at the sight of what was in front of them. Pushing several branches aside, Gaara moved forward, crouching low to examine it.

It was the skeleton of a child. A small skull and tiny perfectly preserved little sets of bones lay undisturbed in a tiny basin of ashen earth. Its tiny hands and feet seemed to have been curled under it, as if trying to escape something before it died. Gaara prodded the head and limbs with the flat of a kunai to move them. He was by no means an expert on postmortem, but he could definitely find traces of old wounds obviously inflicted on those bones prior to their demise.

"For crying out loud, Gaara," Temari snapped, disgust written all over her face, "Leave it alone!" She turned, apparently willing to put as much distance between herself and the body as possible. Kankurou seemed to have similar ideas.

"No," His tone was almost clinically impassive as their youngest brother called them back, "What about that?"

"What about what?" Unwillingly Temari faced him again, her eyes following the line of Gaara's outstretched arm. It was barely noticeable among a circle of small shrub-like trees and overhanging rock, but there was a square metal sliding door rising up out of the ground at a slight angle, the entrance to an underground concrete bunker. It looked as if the little child had been crawling out from there. The door was slightly ajar. It almost reeked of foreboding.

"We're not actually going to have to go down into that thing are we?" Kankurou mumbled, voicing his sister's thoughts as he glanced down at the decaying body again. "Goodness knows what we might find. Can't we send a specialist team or something…" Gaara didn't bother replying to that and – in all fairness – Kankurou didn't need him too. No, of course they couldn't. This was their mission and what was more it wasn't necessarily safe to send a team of more science-based ninja, even if they had access to some. They still didn't know what other threats this island held.

"Temari," Gaara barked, standing upright, "You have a camera on you, don't you?" She nodded, shifting unhappily in her kimono as she reached for the small black device issued to her in Seishingakure for the precise purpose of recording anything they couldn't take back.

"Take some pictures of this," her brother told her, indicating the body, "Especially the wounds on the back of the neck and the hands and feet. They'll want to examine them when we return. Kankurou… you're with me." He paused, looking down at the skeleton again. It couldn't have been older than four or five. "And let's see if we can bury this or something. We might as well give… the remains some kind of funeral." He turned away, a closed sombre expression on his face as he kicked open the bunker door.

"Right," Temari murmured, adjusting her camera as Kankurou moved to follow their brother. She knelt down in the dirt beside the sad little figure, even as her brother's cat-eared head disappeared down the hatch into the ground.

It was bitterly cold in the bunker and there was hardly any light. Gaara fumbled against a wall in what little illumination teetered in through the open hatch and found an emergency light rod. Snapping it against his free hand to activate the chemicals, he raised his new light, squinting as he tried to see.

Faces peered back at him. Well, they didn't peer. Their eyes were closed. They were tiny gray little faces arranged in rows to his right and left. They looked peaceful, almost asleep.

Blinking, Gaara refocused his vision. There were pods to his right and left. Fluid pods filled with a thick yellow viscous liquid obviously used for preservation. Each was mounted into to a mechanical frame supported against the wall with monitors and displays for observation. There were six pods in all… and five of them were occupied.

Kankurou appeared by his side. His face was pale. "You said there'd been reports of kidnapped kids?" he murmured, eyeing the silent little bodies in their chambers, "I mean, they _are_ human, right?"

They were, although even Gaara found it hard to tell. There was an ugliness about them that bordered upon the grotesque. Sunken little heads hid in folds of overlapping neck skin and long spindly fingers protruded from undersized hands and feet. Their eye sockets had sunk so far into their skulls that it was hard to see them. None of the little figures had any hair and the cartilage seemed to have receded from their nose and ears making them unnaturally small and underdeveloped. Even their skin was an ashen gray, giving them an eerie paranormal appearance in their white hospital grab with multiple long thin tubes protruding from every part of their bodies.

Gaara strode towards one of the little displays, holding his light over it as he glared down at the screen. It was dark and blank and so he noticed was the pod of liquid the body was suspended in. This child was probably dead. He glanced over towards the next and the next and the next. They were all the same. Only in the very last display did he find a change. Barely readable, there was a graph with a moving line suggesting what might have been the child's heart rate. It did not look healthy.

"What's been happening here?" he heard Kankurou murmur beside him. His brother was staring around with a blank wide-eyed expression, his fingers clutching his own arm so hard they were practically going white. It was clear he didn't want to believe what he was looking at, much more than being unable to process it. "These kids? What did they do to them?"

Gaara glanced around himself again, raising his light. This bunker was tiny, barely big enough for the six capsules it held. There was nothing else in here. Just the six pods, the ladder leading outside and the tiny box next to from which he had taken the emergency light. There was no equipment. Nothing that suggested what might be being done in here; nothing even to care for the five little inmates imprisoned in their liquid capsules. Gaara could see his and his brother's footprints outlined clearly in the thick coat of dusk on the floor. A horrible suspicion started to form in his mind.

He glanced up at the pod in its casing in front of him again. It had a rather unfixed quality about it. Nothing was mounted to the wall. It just stood there, almost as if it had been moved here from somewhere else. There was a clipboard with notes attached to one side of the metal frame and Gaara hurriedly removed it, scanning the papers.

It was as he expected. _Experiment 192, Male, Age 6_… There was more information: the child's height and weight; a list of drugs and doses; a list of other things he didn't recognise; a few charts and graphs; endless boxes filled with handwritten notes in messy ballpoint pen, but what bothered Gaara the most was a bright red stamp right at the top of the uppermost page. It was the word 'Failure' in a sharp rectangular box.

"Get Temari," he breathed hoarsely, staring at the word, "Hurry. We need to get him out of there."

"Are you sure?" Kankurou exclaimed, turning on him in panic, "In the weak state he in now… That thing might be all that's keeping him alive. If we move him, he might die!"

"No," Gaara shook his head firmly. His fingers clenched around the clipboard and his eyes narrowed. He stared again at the tiny little body in the fluid, noticing how small it was, how frail… There was blood creeping up one of the tubes by his nostrils. "If we leave him, he will die. That's why he's here. That's why they're all here. They're failed experiments. They've been dumped here to die."


	25. Chapter 5h

Naruto gasped, avoiding another blow from a smoke creature as he dropped low, rolling over the ground. He could feel the rock shaking beneath him as Sakura sent more of the things flying right and left. Kicking up from the floor, he sent a fresh barrage of shurikens into them as he zigzagged across to his friend's side and took his position defending her back.

"What do you suggest we do now?" he panted, slicing through a fresh mist creature as it made a dive for Sakura's shoulder, "It's not like we can keep this up forever."

"I don't know," Sakura cried, knocking away another three with a swing of her foot. Tendrils of thick smoke curled around her leg, damp and cold. She shook it viciously as she punched away another creature, trying to dispel the remains. "They have to have some weakness. Something we can attack to stop them regenerating."

"Such as?" Naruto inquired, swiping through another with an interlaced swing of his kunai-baring hands. The problem with his current tactic of cutting the enemy was that it was leaving a serious amount of smoke residue behind, which was gradually forming into more creatures. He was starting to have to push back against Sakura just to keep fighting.

"I don't know!" she snapped, twirling round to deliver a chakra-laden kick into the air. "Think of something!" It had some effect on Naruto's problem, but not an overwhelming amount. The creatures were already learning to say well clear of the ground, where the throw back from her blows would hit them with a dangerous volley of displaced earth and rock.

"You're the smart one," Naruto shot back, twisting round to take over the side she had left vacant.

"And I don't know!" she replied, focusing her own chakra over her limbs as a kind of shield to batter their foes with during her attacks. It didn't have half the effect of her former method, but it was all she had.

Suddenly a wave of water smashed over them, crushing their bodies into the ground. Naruto grabbed onto his team mate as she clawed at the rocky floor, using her incredible strength to anchor them in place for the few moments it took until the eruption was over.

"What the…?" her companion gasped, releasing her waist and kneeling on the ground desperately spitting water, "Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sorry about that," came the rather bashful reply, as Sakura sat up and glared across the ledge at the tall white-haired figure emerging from the shadows, "Figured I'd just clear the air."

"Heh," Sakura grumbled, shaking her wet arms and sending droplets of water flying everywhere. On the other hand though, it had worked. The smoke creatures no longer surrounded her and Naruto. All their remnants had been washed away by the water jutsu.

"Let's just get out of here before they come back," Naruto panted, hoisting Sakura to her feet by her shoulders as he stood up himself.

"Or not," she added, her glace falling passed his arm and out behind him due to the way he was holding her. Kakashi tensed. Instantly he was at the rear of his former pupils, shielding them as they scrambled back into battle positions.

Green smoke was gradually building in a mound across the ground behind them. It coiled and twisted, knotting and re-knotting itself as it rose shakily in the shape of a figure. It twisted, spiralled and looped around itself, intricately weaving around something else that was emerging from the cold stone floor; something inside the smoke.

There was a scream. Kakashi jutted out an arm, knocking Naruto and Sakura backwards, as he leapt away at the sound. It was horrid tortuous wail, drawn-out and jagged on the ears. The smoke boiled and bubbled, tightening still further, and then it exploded.

The scream intensified. Wisps of green flew out in all directions, swirling around the whole area. Like some kind of twisted petal dance, the tiny fragments of smoke started to settle in the centre of the whirlpool, twirling and twisting around the tiny creature that stood real and solid in the epicentre.

Hardly bigger than a small child, it stood among folds of loose gray skin, waving long overgrown fingers of almost the same length as its arms. It twisted its hairless features, its flat flapping muzzle containing almost no nose and its dome-shaped head lacking any kind of ear. With a curl of the flapping skin above the sockets, it revealed its eyes, shining bright green in the darkness.

Naruto pulled Sakura back against him, grinding his teeth. "What is that?" he hissed at Kakashi, who just shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

Tendrils of green smoke snaked their way across the ground towards them. As one, Team Kakashi jumped, splitting into three different directions as they did so. The smoke twisted, curling itself into three large tentacles; one pursuing each target at vicious speeds.

Sakura collided into the ground, letting herself rebound into the air as she checked on the smoke following her. It was bitingly close. She flipped herself around in mid-air, kicking off against a convenient rock and flinging herself towards the ground some metres away. Her fist struck hard into the ground moments before she impacted, sending a volley of splintered rock straight into her pursuit as she cartwheeled out of range. The smoke shuddered through the rock, momentarily stymied as it billowed outwards swallowing the displaced ground whole.

That was all it took. Kakashi swept passed her, leading his own smoky tail straight across hers. He spun around. A burst of water emitted from his mouth, knocking both tentacles into oblivion with the force of the jet.

"Now Naruto!" Sakura called, skidding to a halt some metres away from their sensei.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" Naruto duplicated himself into five in mid air as he hurtled away from his own tracking tendril. The nearest clone simply fell backwards into the smoke, letting it engulf it as it signalled to the others. Two more raced back down the suddenly clearing pathway. Sprinting passed their smoke-covered comrade before the enemy could react, they grabbed the small gray creature on each tiny arm. Without giving it time to blink, they leapt into the night, hoisting it into midair as the original Naruto smashed into its stomach with the Rasengan he and his final clone had been preparing.

It screamed. The bitter wail echoed through the valley as it fell away into the sky, soaring in a wide arch back towards the island's central mountain. As the clones disappeared and Naruto tumbled to the ground, he could almost feel himself breathing a sigh of relief.

The breath promptly froze in his throat. More wailing cries resounded up from the valley. Even in the colourless night, he could see smoke rising up in various places to block out the starlight.

Sakura's hand gripped his shoulder. He didn't even know when she had moved behind him. "Come on, Naruto," she yelled, pulling him towards her, "We've got to run!"


	26. Chapter 5i

Gaara paused as he led his siblings back towards the shore. Something was wrong. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was, but he found himself straining to listen and his eyes were darting across the horizon towards the island's central mountain, almost without him telling them to. There was nothing though that he could pinpoint as out of the ordinary and he shook his head as if trying to clear it.

A breeze licked at his bare arms and he nearly shivered beneath his flak jacket, which brought him back to the present with a chilly reminder of where his coat had gone. "How is he?" he demanded, watching his siblings try with limited success to negotiate their makeshift stretcher through the dying forest.

Temari looked down at the fragile little body suspended between the two long pole-like branches she and Kankurou had managed to scavenge. Gaara's sand was likely to stick to a wet body, so both her brothers were shirtless now. All their non-vital clothing had been discarded to help create the makeshift stretcher and keep its tiny occupant warm and dry after his release from his watery cage. For all the good that seemed to be doing.

When they had first opened that tiny fluid-filled prison she had been convinced the child was never going to make it. Even now she could hardly guess. After several long moments of frantic CPR and desperately trying to remember everything she had ever been taught about first aid on the battlefield, he had finally taken his first breaths of fresh air. They had been slow, unsteady and irregular and even now Temari still had to keep leaning forward over the stretcher to press her cheek against his tiny inhuman mouth just to check whether there was even the faintest wisp of air movement coming from his lungs. His skin was desperately pale, paler even than before they had freed him, and although she watched him like a hawk she couldn't tell with the strange gray colouring of his skin whether his lips were starting to turn blue or not. He was still alive, only just, but that could easily change any second now.

A pair of hands covered hers as they gripped the poles at the bottom of the stretcher and she looked up to see her younger brother gently nudging her aside, a stoic expression on her face. He seemed to have taken her silence as the answer she couldn't give him.

"We need to get this kid to Sakura," he informed them, deliberately keeping his voice level. He glanced down at the hairless scalp in front of them. Outside of his yellow liquid the child looked much less eerie. It was just a very sickly-looking human boy, with very little hope left on his side. "She's the only one with enough medical expertise to deal with this."

"Which is why," Kankurou grunted, obediently picking up the pace nevertheless, "I said we should have left him there and brought her to him instead. He might have stood a better chance that way." Temari ignored the conversation and fell into step beside the moving stretcher. Even as she ran, she kept her hands on the tiny body attempting to steady it and check for a pulse. Beneath Kankurou's jumper, she could feel the child's skin was still clammy and damp. It must be desperately cold for him out in the night air.

"All alone in enemy territory?" Gaara snapped, his face suddenly cold, "Sakura's on the other side of this island. We might not have been able to return. What then?"

"We haven't seen any sign of enemy troops so far," Kankurou shot back, "Who says we wouldn't have been able to return?"

A loud wailing scream erupted from somewhere further inland, splitting through the otherwise silent night. The ground around them shook and even the child seemed to start writhing in the stretcher, as if reacting the noise. Temari threw herself over the invalid to steady him as her brothers braced themselves against the jolting in their hands.

"What the hell was that?" Kankurou demanded, slowing to a halt as he gazed around in wide-eyed confusion. Temari gasped behind him, half hanging from the stretcher, as she tried to pin the child down to stop him from falling. He was showing little sign of calming.

"Exactly why I said we weren't going to leave the kid behind," Gaara snapped, pushing the stretcher forward, Temari and all, against his brother's back. "Come on!"


	27. Chapter 5j

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" Another seven Narutos leapt from the boat, using each other as leverage as they tried to gain momentum on the enemy. Screaming with fury, they pierced the sky with the light of the Rasengan move. Chidori, Kakashi's signature technique, soon joined in, darting in great arches through the sky. Sakura swung her fists right and left, smashing them through each of her opponents as she stood astride the craft, her pink hair fluttering with the force of her own movements.

It wasn't doing much good. The strange smoke was still chasing their vessel, swirling up into empty shadowy ghosts as it continued its assault. Somewhere up in the sky the little ashen creatures that produced them were floating on their own charcoal cloud, safe from any stray assault. Around them everything was slowly loosing colour and fading into a darker blur as the night grew deeper and the smoke from the attacks continued to thicken with each strike. This fact granted the little creatures an almost invisible offence, making them even more dangerous than before as the shinobi couldn't see their assault coming to avoid it. Kakashi and Naruto had their work cut out to even get close to their aggressors, never mind attacking them in return.

A haze of fog swept down from the skies overwhelming Sakura and suffocating the pink haired ninja's senses. Cold clammy mist poured into her nostrils and down her throat, making her gag and claw at her own face in panic. Naruto turned at her muffled cries, but Kakashi tore back towards the boat, sending a jet of water crashing over her to free her. Almost before she could choke out her thanks, there was a yell above them. Their assailants had taken advantage of Naruto's temporary distraction with Sakura to engulf him from behind. A thick tendril coiled around his neck, strangling him.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried as he flailed in mid air, desperately trying to free himself from the cold clammy grasp that was slowly solidifying around his windpipe.

Suddenly a miniature tornado ripped through the air towards the trapped shinobi, knocking him backwards and slicing the chokehold from his neck. He hurtled through the air, using his chakra to catch himself as he slid on the water's surface.

A second gust swept the remaining smoke back up into the air and Temari appeared, crouched low over Team Kakashi's boat clutching her giant fan in both hands. "Are you okay?" she whispered, eyeing the bedraggled kunoichi in her sensei's arms, "Sakura, we need your help. Someone's hurt!"

Temari leapt into the air again, spinning slightly as she summoned wind to carry her up into the air towards their enemies, both hands tightly around the bottom of her spread paper fan. A whirl of sand far over the water suggested that Gaara had joined the fight. With a relieved smile, Kakashi plunged over the side of the boat to get back in the battle, skidding over the water's surface as he hastily started preparing hand seals.

Confused by her friend's hurried message, Sakura glanced around wildly in alarm, but then a single thread of chakra shot through the air lassoing the bow of her boat. She turned, bracing herself, as she saw a figure tug on the thread, bringing their two vessels together with a bump.

"Kankurou?" she muttered, recognising him. His face – barely visible in the starlight – still radiated an evident look of relief at the sight of her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her across into his craft with very little resistance on her part.

"Sakura," he exclaimed, dropping her into his boat with an almost overbearing amount of care, "You've got to help the kid. Please. Temari and Gaara are gonna kill me if you can't save him." Kankurou was leaning over her, gasping for breath, as he battled to keep the two little boats together on the high seas. He stood with one foot in each ship, but his eyes were locked onto hers. Clearly he had been really, really anxious for quite some time.

There was something soft and moving beside her leg. Sakura had landed on her knees when her friend moved her, and as she glanced down now she realised that this was just as well. There was hardly any space left in the bottom of this boat. It was almost all taken up by a small wriggling thing nestled in the curve of the hull. She reached into her bum bag for a miniature torch, flicking it on for some light. What she saw almost made her draw back in alarm.

It was small, hideously malformed and gray. An oversized egg-shaped head squatted on a tiny body and stubby arms and legs kicked and failed. It's gaping chasm of a mouth opened and closed and small flaps of unnecessary skin on its neck and face shook as it tossed its head from side to side, obviously in the grips of some kind of nightmare.

"This is…?" she peered closer at the little creature, carefully placing a hand under its chin as she felt for a pulse, "My God – it's the same as those things we're fighting."

"We think he's an abducted child," Kankurou interrupted, desperately trying to hold the boats together as the fight tore on behind them. "There were more of them, but…" Kankurou shook his head, "There were some notes on him. We stashed them under the seat. Gaara says these kids were some kind of failed experiment."

"Then the ones we're fighting must be the successful ones," Sakura concluded in a worried tone, drawing closer so she could shine her torch over the child's face. It was different from what she had seen of her opponents earlier. The stubbly nose and ears were still visible, if much reduced, and the overlapping flaps of skin were far less prominent. Even the digits on his hands and feet weren't as ridiculously oversized, although still somewhat longer than she might have expected. "Kakashi and I honestly thought they must be some kind of creature summoned or created with chakra… We never imagined…"

"They're definitely human," Kankurou assured her, shaking his head, "Definitely."


	28. Chapter 5k

"Try to lure them in one place," Kakashi yelled, sprinting between waves of water, "Then stay away from them!"

"Don't hurt them," Gaara roared back, trying to be heard over the waves, "Just take the smoke, not its casters." He hovered in a bowl of sand, the familiar grains grinding up against his skin as he kept himself airborne.

"Why?" Kakashi leapt from the top of one wave to another, riding them like a stage backwards elevator as he struggled to hear the Kazekage's words.

"Just don't!" Gaara shot back, throwing himself to one side as he attempted to avoid both a mounting smoke attack and the spray of water from the sea below. His chakra was of a wind-nature and so in theory the ocean ought not to be so important, but water generally did not mix well with sand. If it didn't seep through his defense and make his main weapon and armour heavy and unwieldy, there was always the fact that something as large and full of currents as the sea would almost certainly sweep away any loose grains it could snatch and make them impossible to regain, gradually lessening the supply Gaara had to work with, while preventing him from replenishing it as he might have done on land.

"Alright!" Kakashi took the Kazekage's warning without further question, apparently prepared to simply trust his word. He somersaulted from the top of a wave, signalling to Naruto as he did so.

"_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

"_Dai Kamaitachi_!" Even before Naruto could react, Temari had waved her fan again, sending a spiralling charge of wind over the small cloud of little creatures and sweeping up all their smoke tendril in the process. Breaking apart in the grip of the twister, the smoke lessened and air around them cleared. The cluster of gray children sagged in the sky, weakened without their primary offence.

"Right," Kakashi tore his forehead protector upwards, revealing his normally secluded eye. Focusing his deadly mangekyou sharingan – the advanced version of a powerful eye jutsu – he glared at the spot towards the end of Temari's cyclone opening a rift in dimensional space. The tiny dot widened and quivered, ferociously sucking every molecule it touched and effectively draining the dangerous smoke from this world as fast as the little creatures could produce it.

Naruto was ready for his cue. A dozen clones sprang into the air in a tightening circle. Their arms were spread as they rounded on the tiny aggressors, penning them in as they gradually sunk from the sky. The sound of their frightened chirping reached him in various bodies and a couple of clones looked momentarily startled… then the little creatures vanished.

Suddenly devoid of their target, Naruto's flailing clones collided and popped out of existence in a series of little explosions. The one remaining original fell out of the sky, momentarily submerging underwater, before he resurfaced and pulled himself back upright with the aid of his chakra.

"What the heck was that?" he muttered.


	29. Chapter 5l

"Come on," Sakura whispered, gently pressing her chakra against the tiny chest, "Come on." The child had stopped moving. Almost as soon as the strange creatures had disappeared from the sky, he grew deathly calm. There was a trail of blood under his nose and Sakura suspected that their presence had actually harmed him more than it helped.

"He seems to react to the others, doesn't he?" she whispered to Kankurou, stroking the small forehead gently with one hand as she tried to feed her chakra over his lungs with the other. His skin had a strange rubbery texture and it was clammy with fever, "It's almost like he knows when they're there."

Kankurou twitched his head uncertainly. Signalling to his sister, who was busy collecting a rather stunned Naruto, he turned and regarded her with a puzzled frown. "Maybe," he shrugged, "He was all still like that when we found him too. He just started moving when the others made that noise. Maybe that's a good thing? Maybe all that tossing and turning is a sign that he's stronger with them nearby?"

'_Definitely not_,' Sakura thought to herself, but she said nothing and merely shook her head. From what she could detect being near the others had actually distressed the child, causing already fragile membranes in his body to burst and causing minor internal haemorrhaging in several places. If she was to have any chance of saving him, they had best keep him as far away from the island's other experimental children as they could.

Kankurou hadn't really noticed her response one way or the other. He was distracted by the arrival of the other shinobi of their various scouting parties. Kakashi thumped him playfully on the shoulder as he leapt aboard his own boat, muttering a 'thank you' that seemed to be aimed more at all three Suna siblings than just Kankurou specifically. Temari dropped Naruto in a heap next to his sensei, who was busy taking control of their sail. The blonde genin seemed to have sprained his leg at some point during the last battle and was muttering mild threats towards it as he lay on his back, kicking it in the air as if that would help. Kakashi stepped on him, apparently by accident, and sent him scurrying to the bow of the craft, complaining at the top of his voice.

After a few moments of indecision Temari seemed to decide to stay on the Konoha boat as well, on grounds that the Suna one was already crowded enough. With a nervous glance at Sakura, she put away her fan and sat down next to Kakashi, folding her legs and adjusting her skirt.

Kankurou pulled his foot from the bow of the Konoha vessel, releasing his chakra threads and watching as Gaara landed rather unhappily towards the stern of their own craft. It looked as if his younger brother would have preferred to avoid alighting at all until he could do so on solid ground, but even his chakra reserves were not inexhaustive. The sand he had used returned to its guard and Gaara stoppered it with care, apparently especially concerned about his supply with the excess of water about. He was also evidently worried about Sakura, his eyes fixed on her as she worked in the bottom of their boat.

She had stopped any bleeding in the lungs and had gotten the child to a point were he was at least breathing more regularly on his own, if still really weakly. Using her chakra to monitor his heartbeat, her other hand cupped his cheek as she tried to peer into his eyes. She couldn't. Some kind of sticky discharge had them almost glued shut. It was so severe that Sakura left off, fearing she might damage the cornea if she attempted to prize the lids apart any further. Focusing instead on the rest of his head, she gently used her chakra as a means to feel for any cranial injuries. A smile traced across her face. She was relieved to find him fairly healthy in that regard and she started to shift, intending to continue her examination elsewhere.

Then something spiked under her hand. Jumping towards his head, Sakura stared at his little face in panic as she increased the chakra flowing from her hands. No, it wasn't just his brain. His heart rate was speeding up… and his breathing… Staring as the child's features started to contort, the medic nin gasped as realisation hit her.

"Watch out!" she screamed, flinging herself forward.

It was too late. Both boats suddenly swung, veering from side to side as the water seemed to come alive below them. Sakura felt her patient kicking her in the stomach as the boat almost toppled in the ocean currents. She gasped for air. There was another heavy weight suddenly pressing into her back.

"Gaara!" Kankurou yelled, scrambling to his feet from where he had fallen on the medic ninja. The stern of the boat was empty. "Gaara!" he called again, pulling himself up against the side of the boat. He was lucky not to capsize it. The water was twisting beneath them, churning it into a giant circle that spun round and round and straight down. With a gasp of horror Kankurou realised he was staring straight into the centre of a maelstrom.

The boat spun, jolting him hard against its wooden side. Winded he fell backwards and Sakura grabbed his shoulder, pulling him down. "Gaara," he repeated, trying to push her away.

"You'll fall," she snapped at him, her arms already full of her young patient.

Ignoring her, he crawled forwards until he could stare down into the murky water. Something was happening in the centre of the whirlpool. It split, the water tearing away until he could see the seabed below. A dark, round object rose up from the exposed middle. No, it wasn't an object. It was a mass; a mass of glistening, shining rock that teemed upwards in clumps and mounds. Kankurou stared at it, reaching instinctively for the scrolls mounted on his back. Mercifully they were still dry.

Abruptly he saw him. Bobbing in the writhing water not far from the boat was a mess of dark hair. An arm struck out against the waves. He could make out a gasping face. "Gaara!" Kankurou screamed his brother's name, frantic as he watched him drowning. Flinging his hand back outwards, Kankurou shot out a fresh length of chakra string. It missed his younger brother by several inches. He tried again to no avail. Gaara lunged forward attempting to grasp out towards him. Then his head disappeared under the waves and did not reappear.

"_Gaara_!" Kankurou howled his brother's name a final time, feeling Sakura's hand pulling him backwards as he threatened to topple the boat in his panic. They spun in the water. The tiny wooden vessel bounced back and forth in the cruel torrents and the kunoichi clung to his bare waist as he sobbed, holding both him and her child patient, her tears falling against his skin.

Kankurou fell back into the boat, gasping. Sakura and the child collapsed against his chest and he gripped them, trying to stabilise their small vessel as the raging water tormented it. He stared blankly ahead at the still moving mound of rock in the whirlpool's nucleus. It was still rising and it was gaining speed.

"Look," Sakura pushed a hand against him, gaining his attention. She pointed out to a spot further down the rushing water. There, surrounded by swirling sea-foam, a small light yellowish blob was battling the spiralling current, holding a darker reddish one by its side. Naruto had dived to Gaara's rescue. Even with two of them though, and their incredible combined power, it seemed like an almost hopeless plight. The maelstrom was just incredibly strong.

Someway off to their right, Kankurou could spot Temari and Kakashi in their craft. It looked like the Konoha shinobi had his work cut out just preventing his Suna friend from jumping into the tempest to save her brother.

When it happened, it happened almost in an instant. The rising rock broke asunder, smashing into the rushing water. Naruto and Gaara dived, narrowly missing being struck. More rock fell in clumps all around them. Temari and Kakashi jumped overboard as the stone crashed into their vessel. Splintered wood whirled in the water and Kakashi grabbed her shoulder, surfacing. She clung heavily to his arm as the current ripped at their bodies, threatening to tear them apart.

Choking, she dug her nails into his top, holding on with both hands as the water raged against her body. She gasped, and then, just over his shoulder, she saw something that nearly made her scream.

The rock was rising back out of the water where it had fallen, but it was changed. Instead of individual lumps it now had shape, an almost human shape. Green glowing chakra bound the glistening stone into a mockery of the human form. The faceless statues climbed up onto the water's surface, swinging huge limbs with fists bigger than a man's head. Saltwater stinging her eyes, Temari watched helplessly as they turned as one towards the centre of the maelstrom, towards the beings that had summoned them.

A great green glowing cloud hung in the air over that centre. Tendrils of smoke were pouring and weaving from it into the swirling water, twirling rapidly the way a mixing machine stirs dough. From the top of that fog, their overlong digits writhing as they cackled and squirmed over each other, the little gray creatures laughed at their captives.


	30. Chapter 5m

Naruto pushed hard against the water, trying to stabilise his chakra. It was difficult though. Something in the swirling tumult seemed to latch onto his energy as he soon as he tried to focus, effectively draining him. Gaara tightened his grip on his friend's waist, struggling for purchase against the raging force twisting around them. Kicking hard to stay afloat, they remained locked onto each other, spitting and gasping heavily as stray water burned at their noses and throats.

Gaara's eyes widened. He flung himself forward, pulling Naruto under water with him. Seconds behind them a stone fist plunged into the space they had just occupied. Both boys kicked hard under water as the currents spun them in concentric circles. The surface veered away from them. Naruto felt his hands begin to slip. Gaara snatched at the Konoha clothing, desperate to keep them together. Then Naruto tumbled away from him, lost in the twirling bubbling mass.

Gaara fell backwards through the water; the current smashing at his lungs as his limbs flailed outwards. He tried to summon his chakra. He tried to fight.

A dark, sticky blackness overtook him. Snatching at his arms and legs, it clung against his skin, tightening against his ribcage. Dark gelatinous slime covered his mouth and nose, pressing down for access into his lungs. He gagged and it tightened its grip. A sickening pain shot through his chest and he tried to scream.

Something snatched at his shoulder, pulling him upwards. They shot through the water, the force propelling him stronger even than the whirlpool that held them. The surface broke around them and Gaara felt the rush of water leaving as they flew through the air, landing heavily on the back of something large, writhing and stony.

Hands clutched at his face, snatching the suffocating slime. Gaara saw Naruto, clearly channelling the power of his resident bijuu, the Kyuubi. Blonde features roaring with rage, Naruto yanked hard at the creature in his grip, revealing a water-based cousin of the smoke monsters Gaara had seen before. It struggled in the Jinchuuriki's grasp, water falling away from it in riverlets and droplets, until suddenly it was mere smoke again, floating away in the breeze.

The ground moved beneath them, except that it wasn't ground at all. The stone golem reared in protest at its unwelcome passengers, twirling its limbs as it tried to throw them from its back. Naruto snarled. The dark whiskers prominent on his round cheeks as he glared down at Gaara, who was gasping beside him, holding on with his mere fingertips.

He closed his eyes. The pain in his chest was unbearable. All of his life he had never known pain, as Shukaku and his sand protected him from any kind of injury. Devoid of both, he clutched at his chest, gasping in agony. His cold fingers slipped from the rock, but his senses had become so numb he barely noticed until he felt Naruto's arm slamming into his stomach, propelling them both into the air again.

Konoha's jinchuuriki leapt from the golem's back, spinning through its feet as he used his bijuu's chakra to keep moving above the waves. The water below him was rapidly turning black and snatching at his feet with life of its own, as the small gray creatures mixed ever more of their smoke into the swirling whirlpool they had made. The dark sludge that this created was as vicious as the smoke had been on its own and twice as deadly. Dark twisted faces peered up at him from the water. The monsters the gray children built from their smoke had gained new life in their new element, revealing in the extra possibilities presented by the fact that they were much more solid than before.

Behind them the stone golem slowly started gaining speed. Instead of slowing it, the black sludge lapping at its feet actually seemed to be strengthening it, allowing it to move yet faster as the sludge joined the shining green smoke fusing it together. Naruto bounded up another golem. It spun much too fast for something so big. He jumped from its shoulder, narrowly missing a punch from a stone limb twisted at an angle impossible for humans.

Kakashi seemed to be having similar problems. Somehow he had managed to wrench himself and Temari free of the water before it got too bad, but, having tossed her up into the air, his only option was to bound from golem to golem, attempting to avoid their crushing blows as he engaged them in combat. He couldn't let himself fall, no matter what the circumstances. His chakra reserves had always been lower than Naruto's and Gaara's. If theirs were no longer sufficient to keep them above the water, then allowing himself to slip back into the murky liquid would only spell his death.

Above him Temari was struggling to keep herself in the air. She was having some success manoeuvring on her fan, but between dodging golem fists and the continual chakra drain, she was drifting ever lower towards the whirlpool she ought to have left behind.

Like Kakashi she could feel it, much stronger than Naruto or even Gaara could. It was the way the smoke, in all its forms, had started leaching at their chakra. Temari felt herself growing faint every time she neared the maelstrom of black sludge below her. The movements of the green glowing golems gradually sucked at her strength and the swirling smoke in the air ate at her energy. She gasped, sagging in the air. A faint red mist was rising in front her eyes. The world around her was gradually slipping further and further away.

Her vision unfocused, she spotted something somewhere in the distance. A little wooden fishing boat was spinning in the current, beset by vicious black sludge all around it. There were people on that boat. People she knew. People she knew well. The dots seemed to struggle to come together in her head as she strained to make the connection. Tendrils of black sludge smacked over the boat as she watched. Smoke started to surround her as well. They convulsed, tightening. The weight was pulling her downwards. Her fan slipped from her hands. The little boat smashed into pieces as she watched.

"Sakura!" She heard a voice scream. Kakashi.

Slowly the dots joined up. _Kankurou_. That had been Kankurou's boat… Blackness slipped around her like clock, beckoning her out of this world…

Suddenly she collided into something hard. A pair of arms pulled her upwards, fresh wet clean water slashed all about them as they towered in the air. Temari's eyes snapped open.

She was in the air. Pure, bubbling water spray danced into the night all around her. A pair of thin, girlish arms had her safely hoisted up bridal-style. A grinning face of no more than sixteen gleamed across at her from beneath a dark frizzy mane, the Seishin band prominent on the forehead. It was Momoka.

Sakura landed heavily on a dark wooden surface, rolling across it as it soared, bursting out through the rushing whirlpool and into the air. The remnants of her splintered boat were flying through the air all around her, catching on the deck of the ship that had suddenly surfaced from underneath its broken remains.

"Hey," a voice laughed above her. She glanced up to see Ren with her tiny patient cradled in his arms. He gave her a cheerful smirk, "Welcome back to Seishin's waters!"


	31. Chapter 5n

"I presume this is yours," Ren passed the child to Sakura, "I don't know where you got him from, but now isn't really the time to ask." He pushed her towards an open hatch. Leaving her to secure herself safely below deck, he sprinted down the length of the ship towards his own subordinates, vaulting various bits of debris as he did so. Kai had an arm under Kankurou's shoulders, pulling him aboard. Momoka landed deftly on the opposite side of the bow, Temari and Kakashi slumped against both her sides. The Konoha ninja had even had the foresight to pick up Temari's fan. All of them looked exhausted and heavily battered. Kankurou was nursing an injured arm.

"That just leaves Naruto-san and the Kazekage," Ren sighed, casting a wearily eye over the group, "Right then you two! Let's go!" Signalling his chuunin assistants, he brought both hands heavily on the foremost point of the small ship, focusing his chakra as he did so. The entire vessel lurched, freeing itself of the heavy torrent below it. The gray creatures cried and snarled at them as they grew level, waving their tiny appendages in anger as they summoned their smoke. Golems neared the ship from below. Their blank faceless countenance protruded a heavy air of menace. The tiny creatures crawled over each other towards the edge of their cloud. It was impossible to count the exact number; fifteen, maybe twenty… Tiny faces bared their incisors and snapped at the air.

"Kai! Momo-chan!" Ren grunted, eyes closed as he focused on the jutsu, "Get moving!"

The dark-skinned boy who was Momoka's team mate dropped Kankurou on the deck. "Right," he snapped, yanking at the long necklace of corals and shells coiled around his lean torso. His only deviation from the standard chuunin uniform, it was clear that these were more than just ornamental.

Racing into the centre of the space on the bow, he twirled one end above his head feeding chakra through the length of it. As he did so, the shells and coral expanded, growing larger and faster until they resembled the blades of a helicopter, gyrating and whirling over his head in the shape of a strange upside-down pine tree.

His dark eyes narrowed and he bit one of his thin lips, jerking his hand against the motion. Pointed shell shards burst from the necklace, shattering as they flew over the ship and bombarded the golems below. More sliced through the ballooning cloud, knocking the little creatures back out of the way.

"Momoka-chan!" he bellowed, jumping backwards as he spun his elongated weapon, "Hurry! Your turn!"

The girl nodded, looking slightly alarmed all the same. "Okay," she whispered, raising her hands and starting a series of hand symbols, "_Suiton_…" Bubbles reared up and spun themselves around the ship, lifting it still higher.

Somewhere below them, Naruto was half-dragging Gaara around the pair of golem attackers hot on their tail. He barely noticed the flying ship on the other side of the whirlpool. Instead he charged forward, he darted between swinging limbs, keeping his hand clenched on Gaara's wrist to stop him from falling behind.

"Naruto," his friend's voice whispered in his ear as they paused. He could feel Gaara's weight pushing limply into his shoulder as they stood side-by-side. There were Golems closing in all around them, but the Kazekage was leaning into him for support. "You sure you're okay?"

"Of course," Naruto mumbled back, slinging his arm around his friend's back, "You just worry about yourself." Technically squeaking that was a lie and Naruto knew it. Gaara probably did too. The sprained leg was seriously playing up. Not enough to stop him, Naruto had been a ninja long enough to be able to cope with pain, but it was slowing him considerably. He couldn't easily put weight on it and with having to support Gaara as well; he was slowly but surely starting to falter.

Naruto pushed against his friend, throwing him out of reach of another golem blow. Black slimy water snatched at his feet as he lunged forward, twisting just out of its reach. Catching Gaara around the middle, he vaulted forwards, landing squarely on another golem's shoulder.

It writhed underneath him, tossing its head from side to side as it reared backwards, trying to dislodge the unwelcome passengers. Naruto tightened his grip on Gaara, breathing deeply to avoid the sting in his side as he realised what was coming. The stone monster dove forward, allowing another of its kind a free punch straight into its neck. Naruto leapt just in time, pulling both of the two shinobi clear of the blow, he darted along the second golem's arm and up onto its head. It shook below him, swinging its arms widely in rage, but Naruto clung on tightly, allowing both himself and Gaara a moment to get their breath back.

"Let me help," the Kazekage muttered, snatching at his friend's shoulder, "I'm not completely useless yet."

Naruto glanced at him for a second as they both crouched low to avoid a swinging golem fist. Fortunately the creature's construction seemed to be somewhat top-heavy, giving them an odd centre of gravity and a short reach for their otherwise highly flexible arms. Had it been otherwise, Naruto and Gaara would have been crushed flat in minutes. As it was they clung on tight, but the Kazekage looked pale and somewhat flushed. His lips were drawn tight and he gasped at the slightest movement of his arms. Whatever he claimed, Gaara was clearly suffering.

Around them the whirlpool seemed to be almost growing into the sky. Blackened water whipped about until it cut off the stars and the only light seemed to be coming straight from their strange golem attackers. Naruto shook his head, as he reached out and brushed Gaara's arm loosely with his fist, tightening his grip on the golem's head as he did so. They were spending so much time dodging that they couldn't even counterattack properly. If things carried on like that, then sooner or later they were simply going to run out chakra. That would be the end for both of them.

"Alright, but be careful," Naruto mumbled back, his muscles tightening in readiness for action, "Really careful. Let's try and rejoin the others. Where are they anyway?"

Before Gaara could answer, the golem flung itself forwards, crashing its head into the blackened ocean. The two shinobi bounded clear of the impact, fleeing in separate directions in an attempt to confuse their followers.

Instantly sludge caught on the Kazekage's feet, slowing him down. He twisted around, feeling the chakra draining from him. Instinctively he felt for his sand, but he had hardly any left. The water had robbed him of most of his supply. Pressing a hand over his side, he tried to dodge an oncoming golem. He couldn't move. The water had already sunk him up to his knees and his chakra was draining fast.

"Honestly Gaara…" snapped a voice behind him, as Naruto seized him under the armpits and hoisted him forward, "Can't leave you alone, can I?"

"What's that?" Gaara replied, nudging him in the side as they ran, "Over there!"

"What's what?" Naruto glanced in the indicated direction, yanking himself and his friend out of the reach of yet another stone monster. He whistled softly through his teeth.

It was a ship. A small coastal vessel, painted a brilliant white, was flying in mid-air not far away. Bubbling water spiralled around it, rippling along its sail and its masts. As he watched, a yet of pure water streamed over the cloud of little creatures in the centre, knocking them backwards. In another second, something like a giant flanged mace spun out from the ship, smashing into the golems surrounding them.

_It wasn't really a mace_, Naruto realised, catching his breath. Instead several large shells and corals fused into a series of rotating blades, but the effect was the same. Perhaps it was even better, but such weak materials were no match for the solid igneous rock brought up from the ocean floor to form the golems. Splintered bits of ocean debris flew out into all directions, narrowly avoiding hitting Gaara and Naruto as they shirked backwards. The golems though, were a different story.

Although the stone they were made of was technically tougher, the coral mace didn't seem to be attacking that. Instead it sliced around the rocks, messing up the chakra-bonded slime connecting them. The stone monsters literally fell apart.

"Let's go!" Naruto yelled, grabbing Gaara's arm. Dragging the protesting boy, he built up speed, charging towards a crumbling golem. He leapt, bounding from rock to toppling rock as he gained momentum, before springing forwards, his eyes focused on the ship in the air.

It wasn't anywhere near enough. The arch of their assent over, the two boys started to sink again. "Watch out!" Gaara cried, as the mace on a string swung back towards them, obviously on the homeward end of its lap. The Kazekage strained against his friend, stretching, and snatched onto the silver chain as it passed them. They ricocheted through the air, handing on the deck with a hard thump.

"Right that's everyone," came a voice above them, "Ready Momo-chan?"

"You gonna fight them?" Naruto's head snapped up, taking in Ren as he stood straining by the bow of the ship. Obviously it was his jutsu that was keeping the vessel in the air.

The Seishi shinobi snorted. "Err, no!" he gasped, half-laughing. "If these guys are strong enough to take out a troop of jounin-level ninja, what do you think I'm going to achieve with a couple of chuunin?"

"This is strictly a retrieval mission," Kai put in from behind the pair of collapsed rescuees, "For the moment."

"Fine," Gaara sighed, rolling onto his back. Temari and Kankurou were by his side in an instant, gingerly adjusting him and reaching for bandages.

"What are you going to do?" Kakashi grunted from his position slumped against the ship's side, "We tried to outrun them before… and couldn't."

"Yeah," Ren agreed, crouching slightly as he tensed up, "But right now we have one advantage you didn't then."

Kakashi frowned behind his mask, "What's that?"

"Seishin's defensive shielding!" Ren cried, "Hold on tight!" Behind him Momoka clapped her hands, tripling the waterflow around them. A massive tsunami smacked straight into the stern, sending the ship rocketing through the air at a colossal speed. Naruto and Kakurou snatched at the decking to stabilise themselves. Temari flung herself over Gaara, shielding him from the water spray thundering against the deck like a surge of miniature bullets. Kakashi's eyes widened in amazement. Kai spun around, throwing his twirling coral chain straight into the water steam pushing behind them. It acted like a propeller, pushing them forwards even faster.

They flew straight over the maelstrom, overshooting it by miles. Kai's propeller whirred as they smashed back into the ocean's surface. Displaced water drops littered the air around them, soaring through the air, but the ship held firm, bursting forwards towards the landmass rapidly appearing on the horizon. Momoka's brow furrowed as she pressed her hands together even tighter, the currents below them churning and pulling at the ship to increase their speed. Ren snarled with exertion. Temari gasped… and then everything around them became a solid stream of gold.


	32. Chapter 5o

It lasted for less than a second and then suddenly all the gold disappeared. The ship jetted forwards, beaching itself squarely on a craggy coastline. Giant shimmering granite rock towers rose into the sky on either side of them, but the ship had drawn itself up against a sheer rock cliff in such a way that it was actually an easy climb back on land. They had arrived back in Seishin.

Glancing down at the mass of somewhat jostled bodies strewn on the deck in front of then, Kai smirked. His deep eyes twinkled as he let his shell necklace return to its regular size and readjusted it around his body. "Thank you for choosing Seishin Rescue Cruises for your trip today," he announced with a theatrical bow, "Please ensure you collect all your personal belongings, including Sakura-san, and take care when alighting the ship."

Somewhere in front of him Ren collapsed, exhausted, next to Kakashi on the deck. "Kai-kun," he grunted, panting heavily, "Shut up." Kai straightened up with a roll of his eyes and, noticing that Temari was scowling at him from the floor, offered her a gentlemanly hand, as the others slowly started to stir.

"I'll go help out Haruno-san," Momoka cried, darting off towards the hatch leading below deck before anyone could so much as look at her. Ren watched her go with another grunt.

Naruto stood up, testing his injured leg, and Kankurou came up with him, checking his scrolls with his one remaining good arm. Temari turned, glancing back towards the horizon. In the first small glimmer of dawn she could see a small dark cloud way off in the distance. Her eyes narrowed and she reached for her fan, half-forgotten on the floor beside her.

"Don't bother," Ren called towards her, shaking his head with a dismissive wave of his hand, "They're the far side of the barrier. We have ways and means of dealing with them there. It's much more important to get you guys to safety."

"But," Temari turned, her face a mask of confusion, "You sure? How can you be sure?" Kankurou and Kakashi too were looking at him like he had just grown three heads.

"What is that?" Gaara's eyes were fixed slightly above them. There was a soft glow coming from the top of the cliff. It pulsed slightly in the half-light, pale whispers of gold stretching out towards the stars. As he turned, he realised that there were answering twinkles caught in the horizon far out at sea. The tiny specks of gold flashed gently in the paling purple of the pre-dawn, occasionally letting out thin whiskers that whipped eerily towards the dark cloud between them. It looked almost… beautiful and it was undoubtedly the same gold glow they had passed through minutes before.

"That is my sister," Ren answered him with a sigh, "Seishin's perimeter defence. Her field." He waved a hand loosely at the flashing lights, as he scrambled to his feet.

Gaara stared at him. His drying fringe was sticking to his forehead and he was still shirtless from earlier. Even his gourd was smashed; wet sand dripped from it onto the floor. "What do you…?" He stared blankly at the Seishin jounin, uncomprehending.

"Ask her," Ren interrupted, heading down the deck where Sakura and Momoka were attempting to manoeuvre the child patient upwards through the hatch. "She's right up there." He indicated the cliff above them.

Momoka froze, almost dropping the child. "You mean – she's here?" The look on her face was bad enough to make you wonder if someone had just thrown up on her. She staggered and Sakura had to cough loudly to get to move again. Ren stopped at her reaction, staring at her coldly. He took the child, shouldering her out of the way and lifted it clear, out onto the deck. Sakura tumbled out afterwards.

"Obviously," Kai sighed, he unhooked his shelled necklace from around his neck. With a swing of the coral chain, he anchored it in the cliff, creating the prefect climbing aid.

Momoka stared blankly from him and back to Ren, who was helping Kakashi and Sakura lever the child up onto the cliff. The Seishin chuunin folded her arms, digging her fingers into her flesh. "But we're islands away from the capitol," she protested, her eyes narrowing, "What is she…?"

"She's got wheels, Momoka-chan," Kai replied, not bothering to look at her as he instead focused on assisting the Suna siblings up onto dry land, "She can always travel to do a job. There's no law keeping her in the city."

"Unfortunately," Ren muttered darkly, his arms full of the tiny child. Sakura was climbing beside him, one hand holding Kai's necklace the other cradling the tiny head. "It'd be better for her if stayed at home…" Momoka said nothing and merely followed them.

They reached the top of the cliff in a matter of seconds and sure enough, the wheelchair and the blankets were arranged in a central position. Ren's sister had her head bowed over her steepled fingers, clearly deeply emerged in some kind of jutsu. Her hair fell down loosely all around her face, occasionally rippling if she made a slight movement. A soft golden glow was gently caressing her skin, teeming out at each slow steady breath she took. She seemed almost oblivious to the world around her, as she sat hunched up like that.

Ren pulled the child up onto a ledge of tuff wild grass, growing in among the rocky granite. It was breathing shallowly, but looked much more stable than it had done when Sakura had first seen it. Its sunken gray face contorted slightly, as if in pain. Sakura ran a hand over the damp forehead, scowling as Ren looked around them.

"Let's see," he began, stroking his chin as Temari, Kankurou and Naruto appeared beside him. The Konoha ninja immediately brightened at the sight of his 'Nee-san'. Ren's eyes focused on the shadowy landscape. "At a guess, I'd say we're about…"

"Twenty miles west of the village you started out from," his sister informed him without looking up.

Ren sighed, nodding. "Yeah, that." Naruto grinned in amusement. He flopped backwards on the stony ground near the wheelchair, propping himself on his arms. Normally he would be twitching to get back into action, but the last battle had worn even him out. His eyes were dropping slightly and he yawned. Pain and exhaustion was finally winning out against the adrenaline **(1)** pumping through his system.

The woman in the wheelchair raised her head slightly. Squinting through her fringe, she took in the sight of the battered-looking new arrivals. Her mouth tightened as she fixed her gaze on the small child wrapped in the clothing donated by the Sand brothers. Sakura was still fussing gently over its prostrate form, her eyes dark with concern.

"There's a Rowna Clan camp just a little further in land," Ren's sister muttered, while keeping her fingers immobile and locked in their jutsu. "Perhaps a five minute trek to the northwest. I suggest you go there." Kankurou nodded in relief, fingering his injured arm. Somebody had put it in a sling for him, but all the same the idea of a rest stop appeared to be appealing to him.

Ren on the other hand caught his breath sharply. His head snapped up, frowning as he stared at her. "Rowna… Are you sure?" Even Kai winced at the sound of the word. Temari noticed his eyes flicking from Ren to his sister and back again, an unspoken query on his lips. She turned to look at the remaining Seishin ninja, but Momoka's eyes were resolutely on the ground. Her features were fixed defiantly as she stood near Kakasi with her arms folded. It was almost as if she was deliberately detaching herself from the situation; as if something about it was irking her without her being able to do anything about it. Even Gaara was watching her with concern.

Ren's sister appeared to be ignoring her in return. "Yes." The tone left no room for argument. Her face hard, she pointedly went back to her jutsu. The soft glow around her grew and started to… flicker. It looked a little like some kind of fire.

"But," Kai interrupted, getting up and letting his jewellery-weapon snap back into his hands, "They…"

"They are some of the best healers in Seishin," she shot back, clearly irrigated at the insubordination. Kai nearly jumped when she actually answered him. Clearly he hadn't expected a response. "And," the woman paused as she went on. Something had noticeably shifted in her expression, "That child. You found him on the island?"

"Yeah, so?" Kankurou stared at her, his eyes narrowed. Gaara turned his head, looking at Ren's sibling with an unreadable expression in his eyes. Sakura and Naruto glanced up as well, both attentive with worry.

The woman sighed, as if searching for words. "He's crying. Not aloud, but I can hear him… So can those others. They don't seem…" She shook her head, breathing deeply, "I can't feel any concrete thoughts from them, but are unquestionably following that sound. It's like they got some sort of lock on him. I can't describe it." Her brow creased and she clicked her tongue irritably, "Take him to the Rowna camp. If anyone can help him, it'll be them. I'll deal with the situation here." Her entire posture stiffened, as if she was preparing herself for something,

Kakashi shot her a quizzical expression. It was clear that he was doubtful of how much someone in a wheelchair could do by herself.

"I'll be fine," she reassured him without looking around, "Go. There isn't much time. You lot are nearly exhausted. Even Momoka-kun and Kai-kun are low on chakra. It's best if I deal with this alone."

Ren stood up and waved an arm authoritivly. His eyes remained fixed on his sister; concern was practically pouring out of every orifice. Gaara was uncomfortably reminded of how hard Ren had tried to stop his sister using chakra before. "Momo-chan, Kai-kun," he grunted, "Take our guests down to the Rowna and get their help. I'm staying here." The last part was clearly aimed at his sister.

"If you must," she breathed, clearly restraining herself from rolling her eyes.

"Hang on a minute!" Momoka reared up as the woman leant forward in her chair. Her eyes were wide in confusion and her fists actually seemed to shaking with some unknown anger, "Is she going play hero now? Her of all people?"

This time the woman in the wheelchair actually turned her head, staring directly at her. Her expression was withering. "Protecting the border is my job – as is saving your life. If you have a problem with that, do tell."

Momoka didn't even have time to respond, as Ren's sister pressed her hands on on her wheelchair's armrests and stood up, striding towards the edge of the cliff.

* * *

**(1)** _Alternative term:_ Epinephrine; I believe this is the one favoured in the U.S. for example.

* * *

For those of you who want or need it – here is the review form. As always feel free to leave a proper written review, or even both, if you'd rather:

o/ You've become too sparing in the description in places. True/False

o/ It was difficult to follow what was happening in the fight scenes. True/Face

o/ This chapter was less enjoyable than one's before. True/False

o/ The characters came across as very in character and believable. True/False

o/ Out of ten, I give this story so far - _/10

o/ BattyBigSister, you are amazing and I shall build temples in your honour and worship you. False/Definitely, Definitely False


	33. Chapter 6a

Hello my precious goslings and congratulations on having made it as far as Chapter 6. Some of you made it sound like it's been quite the chore, but that just makes me all the more grateful that you actually bothered to read all 32 instalments (which is quite a feat really if there were things bothering you about them) and give me much needed criticism. That really is very kind of you. Thank you! =0D

Sorry if I sound a little blunt here btw. I originally wrote a much longer author's note, but it ended up much too long to actually post like that, so this is just a summary. I'll probably put the original up on the website if you're interested (which I doubt).

While I pride myself on maintaining a little mystique and not giving everything away right at the start, even I have to admit that the last couple of chapters may have ended up confusing more because of a lack of attention to writing quality than by plot design. I really hated writing them and struggled to get them done, and I think that came across more than it should have, but I simply couldn't figure out how to make the plot work without them. It should get easier from here on out.

Oh… and for those of you who expressed concern, Gaara's ladylove_ is_ already in the story. I'm quite surprised you haven't spotted her already.

So here, either for their kind and helpful reviews, is Chapter Six for _butiloveyou_, _t recorder_, _QueenoftheKill_, _ReadinFromPhone_, _littlewarrior911_ (twice over), _PyroPinkMokey12_,_LittleEcho12_ and of course many times over for _hitsugayataichoda_, _Shifuni_ and _Aithre Lenore-Light_ all of whom have been reviewing and supporting me for ages now. Thank you so much! An extra special mention goes to _Shifuni_ as well for the impressive feat of reviewing every single chapter. I feel that alone deserves commendation. For those of you who really enjoyed this story – I hope you continue to – and for those who nevertheless gave me helpful criticism regardless – thank you!

With love,

BattyBigSister, xoxox

* * *

**Chapter 6**

The woman stood alone on the edge of the cliff, the glow licking at her body and down the many lacy folds of her skirt. Her court shoes pawed at the earthy stones at the very edge of the open space, her head tilted back letting her long hair fall loosely over her shoulder blades as she raised her arms. A lace ribbon flicked through her fingers and she pulled her long tresses sharply into a messy bun at the back of her head. Letting go, her arm moved up above her head. Her palms turned up towards the moon.

For a moment there was just that. The bright moonlight shone down on her still figure, swaying slightly on the edge of the precipice. The sea shone below her, dark and mysterious as it moved gently beneath the starlit sky. Shadowy outlines of mountains and rainforest fell away towards her back. The enemy seemed to multiply on the horizon, the dark fumes building behind the occasional flicker of gold.

It was only for an instant… a drifting, laguishing second… Suddenly it was as if she burst into flames. Her chakra activity intensified: doubling, trebling, multiplying by ten, a hundred… and a hot furnace of flickering yellow flames burned down her body, blazing brighter than any fire. "That's chakra," Kakashi whispered, his body covered in harsh shadows, "Pure chakra, isn't it?" The flames arched wildly, totally immersing her form. She leapt from the cliff, somersaulting as she fell.

Naruto's jaw dropped. "She can walk! She can… she can walk," he cried accusingly, glaring at Ren in the sudden gloom, "I thought her legs were busted." Sakura blinked at him, too surprised to speak. Momoka was watching wearily, a sulky look dominating her features.

The Seishin ninja held up a hand, silencing Naruto as he watched. His brows were drawn together and his mouth frowning. There was nothing now. No sound, except the other ninja on the cliff turning towards him confusion. He clenched his fist… and then…

It wasn't night anymore. A light so bright it illumined the sky flooded out from below the cliff, turning the vast expanse of blackness into an almost pale blue. Gaara shielded his eyes, squinting as he drew nearer the cliff. Something large had materialised over the ocean coastline, something very huge indeed. It moved and billowed below, bristling as its form took shape among the white and gold flames.

They were the wings of a bird. A gargantuan ornethological beast, its giant wings flapping in the air, its gigantic tail sweeping out below it, its long neck craning into the distance. For a moment Gaara thought he was looking at a bijuu, but that wasn't quite right. After all it wasn't quite that big. The tail wasn't really distinctive enough either, more of a many-pronged fan than a tail. Still it could have dwarfed a cruise liner. Chakra-based flames burned from the head of the creature and swept down towards its rear, burning at a continual rate. It wasn't a hot fire though. Quite the reverse, the air around them seemed to be growing progressively colder as if the bird was sucking up the heat from all around it.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Naruto snapped, waving an index finger in Ren's face as he lunged towards him, "I thought you said she couldn't walk! I thought her legs were busted! Hey! I thought…"

Ren stepped back, pushing the hand away in irration. "I said no such thing. Ever," he retorted, pushing the boy firmly out of his face, "She can walk. Just not for very long without pain. Hence the chair. It's her chakra network that's busted, not her legs."

Naruto grimaced at him, his eyes squinting in confusion. "Her chakra network's busted?" Temari spat in disbelief, moving away from the cliff towards Ren and the chair, "Busted? That's a broken chakra network, is it?" She waved a hand toward the enormous bird speeding away towards the horizon. "If you think that's broken, what is she capable of when she's well?"

"Unless it's her chakra network that's overloading her body, causing the pain," Kakashi put in quietly, taking in the display with a grim air. His visible eye narrowed as he regarded the scene and his arms were folded. On the ground beside her patient, Sakura nodded in accordance with his words. Apparently she had reached a similar conclusion.

"She did say she had a jutsu she couldn't turn off," Gaara mumbled, still squinting into the bright bird's body. He supposed the woman was now inside there somewhere, encased in those flames of her own making. Vaguely he found himself wondering what it felt like.

"She what?" Kankurou gasped, spinning around to stare at him. Naruto turned, staring at Gaara and Kankurou and then back at Ren, but Kakashi just looked horrified. Even Temari was choking back her confusion, her eyes wide in bewilderment.

"That's impossible," Sakura retorted, standing up and staring at the Kazekage, "She would be constantly draining her chakra supply; her stamina, her energy… Eventually even her life force. She'd die!"

Ren just sighed. "Or live," he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his brow, "Caught in a constant battle between the chakra she's loosing and the chakra her body can replenish. Constantly teetering towards fatigue, constantly feeling her life ebb away, bit by bit…" His eyes focused on the bird again, as it charged into the horizon. Bright light discharged left and right, flickering as a bitter battle started. Momka bit her lip, looking away.

Sakura stared at Ren. "You mean, she really…" She looked down at her patient, fumbling with her hands, unsure of what else to say. Gaara hissed slightly beneath his breath, watching the flashing light display on the horizon with now more concern than before. Naruto just looked outright alarmed, staring from Ren to Sakura to Kakashi as if expecting one of them to tell him that didn't really mean what he thought it did.

"Oh yes," Ren snorted. His eyes grew hard with an angry glare as he gripped his elbows, snarling, "Definitely. There are quite a few women like her in the Rowna Clan too. It's usually women for some reason. They live fast, or not that fast in some cases, and always die young. You'll see when you get there. Speaking of…" He waved a hand, reaching down, he carefully lifted the child in his sister's discarded wheelchair, covering it in her blankets.

Then he paused, focusing again on the child. Something seemed to alarm him and he bent closer, inspecting the back of its neck and the tiny shoulders. He chewed on his lip thoughtfully.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, drawing closer.

He jumped up startled. "Nothing. Look, you'd better do as my sister says," he told her sharply, "If she thinks there's something the Rowna can do for him – they can." Sakura reached out, taking the handle in one hand as she moved around the vehicle.

Ren clicked his fingers, sighing. "Actually… just a sec…" He bent over the chair, rooting through the large cloth pouches under each other the curved armrests. "Here's one," he muttered, handing Sakura a large green box with a white cross on it, "Knew she keeps that somewhere round here… and…" He tutted irritably. His search obviously not yielding fruit, he moved around to the back of the chair, fingering a similar cloth bag neatly tucked away below the handles. "Here's the other," he pulled out a small oilskin bag, waving it triumphantly. It was no bigger than a small paper folder and full of something quite soft, so that it seemed almost cushion-like between his fingers.

"Off you go," he smiled softly, indicating the direction with the strange rectangle in his hands, "Good luck – though I'm sure you won't need it. The Rowna are very hospitable to those in need. Momo-chan, Kai-kun, help the lady out will you." He turned away, almost dismissing her as his subordinates rushing in to help, lifting up the wheelchair to make the travel less bumpy for the occupant. At least, Kai did. Momoka glared angrily at Ren as she passed him. Clearly she had not forgiven him for some unknown trespass.

"Kankurou, Temari, you help as well," Gaara muttered, his eyes still fixed on the battle in the distance. It seemed almost to be finished. He stirred, moving to stand beside Ren. "Naruto and I will stay here for a while." He didn't need to look at his friend to guess his feelings. The Konoha ninja moved beside, standing with his arms folded in silent agreement.

"Fine," Sakura sighed, as Kankurou helped Kai with the wheelchair. Momoka trudged in front of them, leading the way down the cliff. She gave Kakashi a final glance as she followed them, hurrying to check on her patient as they moved him. He shot a meaningful look towards Naruto and she understood that he would be staying as well.

Ren's eyes were fixed again on the horizon. He let his oilskin package fall against his side as he brought his arms down against his sides. "It's finishing," he muttered, watching as the light show started to die down around the horizon. Even the glow from the bird was growing dimmer. He tensed uncomfortably, his hands twitching in frustration.

The horizon was almost entirely blood red now. The colour leaked across the sky, eating into the darkness and turning bitter shades of orange and pink. A tiny reddish mound just peaking above the waves indicated where the sun was going to be. It wasn't much as of yet, a tiny smudge of brightness in the red. but it was growing bigger.

Naruto moved to stand beside him on the edge of the cliff and as he did so, something broke out of that small point, spiralling towards them. Wings and burning tail-feathers stretched out among the still visible stars. It almost drifted in the wind, twisting and gliding as it grew closer, but when it was almost overhead, just when they could see clearly see the outline of the giant firebird… It faded into nothingness.

A women fell from were the bird had once been. The last few tendrils of her chakra induced flame rippling with the force of her plummet. Ren started backwards, raising a hand. The fall stopped and the woman hung limply in mid air a few feet away from them. Ren's sister floated the breaking dawn, her long hair streaming over her shoulders as she breathed steadily, seemingly unconscious.

"Uhhargh!" Naruto covered his eyes, looking away in embarrassment. Although her skin was entirely unmarked, it was clear that her clothes were not immune to whatever jutsu she had used to create the bird of fire. They had burned away, leaving her bare and exposed. Gaara turned a little pale and stared at his feet.

"You can gather and manipulate chakra outside your body, right?" a blushing Kakashi enquired, deliberately keeping his face turned away. He fidgeted awkwardly with his jacket, clearly looking for something to do, "That's how you levitate objects, by gathering your chakra underneath it? And she created that bird in a similar way, by turning her chakra into flames and then manipulating that into the shape of the bird."

"More or less," Ren agreed, lifting the oilskin packet with his one free hand, so he could tear it open with his teeth, "Wake up, you! I'll need you to get yourself covered up."

His sister stirred weakly as she hit he ground. Either she had turned herself or Ren used his jutsu to angle her so that most of her more private areas weren't facing the small band of men on the cliff. Nevertheless she still seemed irritated. "I just chased off a load of enemy… whatever-they-were," she growled, "And used a major jutsu just to knock them back out to sea, so forgive a girl for being a little tired." She glared at him, landing in a semi-dignified half-crouch.

Ren rolled his eyes. "And I just saved your behind from falling in the ocean," he retorted, tossing her the oilskin as he turned away as well. "So you could try being a little nicer for a change."

She laughed humourlessly. "I'd have woken up when I hit the water or floated along in a chakra-retaining state until I'd recovered," she told him bluntly, stifling a low grunt. It sounded like she was suppressing a lot of pain. "It's what I usually do." They could hear the rustling of the small packet on the ground, as she removed its contents.

"Is this after or before you drown?" Ren shoot back, still keeping his back to her.

She made a low hissing sound that clearly had nothing to do with conversation, before adding, "I've never drowned yet."

"It only takes once," her brother smirked, turning around. Naruto, noticing, took this as a cue that it was now safe and risked a glance over his shoulder.

She was now dressed in black hot pants, a Seisjin women's flak jacket and what he could best describe as a small dress. Visible beneath the reinforced vest was a kind of skirt formed from sections of petal-shaped fabric and an endless amount of white lacy pleats. The rest looked a solid layer of fuchsia with a minimal amount of trimming so as not to interfere with the flak jacket. Naruto smirked. Clearly they shared a common dislike of inconspicuous outfits.

"I'm not going to argue on grounds that you did remember to bring my old ninja uniform," she mumbled, "So thank you and shut up." Her arms were sluggishly tying up what looked like a pair of ballet shoes with hardened soles. All her movements seemed to have slowed dramatically, as though brought out at a great effort, and although Naruto could see some of her face, most of it was pressed into her own knees, propping her up as she tied the ribbons around her legs more by feel than sight.

"Lucky you always keep it in your chair," her brother muttered, crouching down as if to help her.

She raised her head just enough to glare at him. The manner of it left no doubt about her feelings on him tying up her shoelaces for her like a six-year old preschooler. He backed off hurriedly. "Luck has nothing to do with it," she snapped, finishing on her shoes and reaching back into the oilskin for her forehead protector, "I always keep the damn thing near me, because it's the only outfit I own that doesn't disintegrate if I raise my chakra level too high…"

Gaara and Kakashi had returned their eyes onto the conversation by this point, but Naruto found himself more interested in the forehead protector she was busily fastening onto her head. It might have been exactly the same as any issued by any hidden village, a long strip of fabric (vivid pink, yet again) with the village symbol engraved on the metal rectangle set on the front, but some deranged jeweller had been allowed to take hers and practise doodling on it. Now, on either side of the Seishin mark, it sported what looked like golden embossed versions of a lion, a unicorn and a phoenix. Naruto considered vaguely that if they were ever standing on a battlefield, she would at least be easy to spot.

Then she rose, half-crawling her feet and pulled a final piece of clothing out of her oilskin bag, as her brother supported her. It fluttered outwards as she gripped it, revealing it to be a long white haori of the type often worn by the Kages of the five biggest hidden villages, except where theirs showed the ordinal number used to distinguish them, hers revealed the dark black kanji of the word 'hime'.


	34. Chapter 6b

Sakura watched the women gathered over what had until recently been her patient. The flickering firelight danced over their darkly tanned faces as they worked, their gold brown hands moving softly an inch from the child's skin. She observed the way they moved their chakra with interest. Their fingers dancing in a way that suggested they saw more with their hands than their half-closed eyes.

The Rowna Clan had been an experience – and she had been there for less than thirty minutes. A group of tanned women in earthy coloured clothing had stopped them almost as soon as they drew near the camp, but they hadn't been hostile or even vaguely inquisitive about the arrival. It was as if they already knew they were coming.

Almost without speaking, they had been ushered to a large central tent. There had been a bed waiting for the child, along with several of the clan's elderly women who were obviously about to heal him. It was all so… odd, so expected. As soon as they sat down someone else had brought them tea. Rich green tea of the type that takes a while to make, but it was given to them mere minutes after their arrival. There was also a supply of lightly toasted bread and bowls of fresh green soup, all prepared and ready as soon as they needed it. It was bizarre to say the least.

The others were seated around her, on cushions and blankets laid out as if ready for them to sleep on. Kankurou had finished his meal and was sprawled out on the blankets, dozing. He was not quite slumbering yet though with his squinting eyes fixed on their hosts and his vigil not entirely relaxed. His sister was crouched on a pillow much closer to the fire, absently picking at her food. Temari seemed to be watching over the child, her fan laid out over her legs and her still wet hair untied with a Rowna shawl wrapped around her shoulders.

Sakura wasn't eating and her food sat keeping warm by the fire. She had already noticed that her earthenware bowl was the only one fitted with a lid and wrapped tightly in some sort of cloth. It was as if their hosts had guessed she would not be hungry and were keeping it warm until she was. She hadn't removed or changed her clothing, even though it was still damp, and the shawls and coverings the Rowna had laid out for her were still folded in the neat piles they had been set down in. The only outward sign she gave that she might be getting cold was the tea clutched tightly between her fingers, untasted though she bathed in the steam.

Kai sat beside her, leaning back on a rolled up blanket and savouring his own drink. He seemed totally at ease in this company and although he was anxious to express polite overtures if any of the Rowna spoke to him, he ate their food and partook of their hospitality without any hesitation. It would have been reassuring to Sakura's frayed nerves, if Momoka had not pointedly chosen to remain outside. The Konoha ninja had got the impression that she was waiting for her sensei's return. Something about the whole turn of events was bothering Momoka and Sakura just wished she knew what it was and whether or not it was something that should concern her.

In want of anything better to keep her occupied, she settled for watching the Rowna woman as they worked. It was nothing if not fascinating; the elderly ones in their tightly-fitting brown trousers and tasselled tops and especially the young teenager directly opposite her, dressed in a strange olive green dress with a small scarf wrapped over her short cropped hair. She seemed to be some sort of leader here.

Two of the elderly women sat by the child's head and feet, clutching them gently between their hands. All his coverings had been removed, save for the flimsy medical gown, and he lay still on a spread of thick woollen blankets as they slowly weaved thick streams of chakra through his body. In the whole time Sakura had been treating the child, she had not once seen him look so peaceful.

The firelight flickered across his deformed grey face and his eyelids wavered gently as if in a strange response to it. His fingers were slowly curling and uncurling as his breathing came soft and even. He seemed to be dreaming. It was impossible to know what about, but it must have been pleasant. There was just a trace of a smile on his little face.

It was the teenager who seemed to be leading the treatment, singing softly under her breath as her pale bare arms moved gently over the youngster's body, slowly feeding streams of soft golden chakra through his muscle and skin. The smooth curves of her young face moved rhymically with the motion, as if summoning great energy reserves for her task. Even so she was smiling and her voice never varied from soft and melodious.

She did not break her song once as she worked and all the while a younger girl of no more than nine or ten observed her wide-eyed. Her green woollen dress was similar to the teenager's and she wore her little mop of bushy hair tied in two small bunches on either side of her head. Occasionally she gasped when got a small nudge from an older woman and then remembered to add fresh herbs to a small sweet-smelling burner they had placed near the gray child's head. She seemed almost like a little apprentice, learning her trade.

The firelight continued to flicker around the deep brown fabric of the tent and the earthen floor. All of the members of the Rowna Clan Sakura had seen so far had been female and all of them had been dressed almost identically with the same short hair, shorter even than Sakura's own and cut like a man's, and tassled clothes made of natural materials with small jackets and ornaments made of dried twisted grass. The only ones who seemed any different were those two girls.

"They are some of the Rowna's holy women," Kai whispered, seeing where she was looking and drawing closer to her, "You're quite privileged to see them. Normally they are heavily guarded. They're very revered around here."

"Aren't they a little young for holy women?" Sakura murmured in reply, "I mean, that one barely looks older than you and me." She kept her gaze looked on the teenager, watching as the girl waved her hands carefully from the top of the child's head to his feet, accompanied only by the sound of their own humming. "Why are there only women around anyway? Where are their men?"

"Not here," Kai half-snickered behind one hand, keeping his voice low as he moved closer to Sakura, "The Rowna are practically all women, with techniques passed down from mother to daughter. They have men around sometimes, but they never get married – or if they do they have to leave the clan." He leant near to her so she could hear him better. "It's the women who guard the holy ones, with the young girls cutting their hair as soon as they finish their training to prove their status as warriors."

"You sound very impressed with them," Sakura mumbled back, nudging him, "For a man."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm from this island," he confided, winking as he jerked a thumb towards his chest, "You don't diss the Rowna. Not if you want to live anyway. They may not be ninja but they can fight and use chakra… and the people around here really respect their healing jutsu and abilities." Sakura raised her eyebrows, impressed despite herself. She had heard of non-ninja chakra wielders of course, the Samurai from the Iron Country were just one example, but it was pretty rare to come across them.

"There's a lot of superstition too," Kai went on, still leaning close to her. It seemed like away from his superior officers he was quite the chatterbox, "Fortune-telling, curses, blessings – that kind of thing. Dunno what truth there is in that, but what's for sure is that they have some pretty powerful jutsu and the girls in green, those holy ones, they're telepaths."

Sakura stared at him coldly. "Oh for the love of…" Her expression virtually oozed disbelief.

Kai seemed a little taken aback by this. "No, seriously," he whispered keenly, jerking his head and hands for emphasis, "I've seen it. You know, Ren-sensei and his sister – they have a Rowna mother and look at them! Ren-sensei's got this awesome power to move things about without chakra strings or anything and his sister… well, she's his sister…" He trailed off, looking troubled, as if he had said more than he felt he should have.

There was a sudden awful silence in the room. Sakura was uncomfortably aware of the Rowna women's eyes on herself and Kai. Their piercing stares were almost accusatory. Kai had grown pale. He raised a hand to his mouth as if he couldn't believe what he had just said. Sakura was left to gaze around the room in bewilderment.

"I'm sorry," Kai murmured, sitting bolt upright and almost bowing his head, "I really didn't mean…" Temari gaped at him, clearly lost as to what had just happened. Even Kankurou was sat upright again, the blankets tumbling down his bare chest as he stared around the room in confusion.

One of the elderly women snorted, raising a hand with its flattened palm facing the boy. "We know who it is you travel with," she hissed softly, her voice carried an odd accent to it as if she was not talking in her first language. "But we aid you nonetheless. Please repay us by not mentioning that… thing here."

"What thing?" That voice was Naruto's. Early morning light streamed in through the opening as he pushed the tent flap aside, turning his blonde hair a faint orange colour and tingeing his jumpsuit with red. "What thing are you talking about?"

The woman stared at him, her wrinkled eyes narrowed. Sakura stood up swiftly. "Naruto?" she murmured, reaching towards his shoulder, "Naruto." He shrugged her off coldly. His expression remained stiff as he stared back at the woman. Very slowly, his fists started to clench. "Go on," he reiterated slowly, some kind of realisation hitting him, "What _thing_?"

"That's enough!" It was the teenager who had spoken. She was on her feet, gathering the dusky green of her dress about her with elegant slender fingers. "Let's take this outside," she intoned, her voice little above a whisper. Still somehow it carried better than if she had shouted, the soft musical notes of her speech echoing through the tent and into the very fibre of her listener's being. "It is obvious you do not know," she sang, moving around her patient and towards Naruto, "You have not been told and you should be. You should know what it is you travel with; what it is you speak to and about so flippantly."

"What are you talking about?" he muttered.

"There's a good question!" Temari snapped getting to her feet, her tea shaking in her hands, "What the hell are all of you talking about?"

The teenager's eyes merely darkened as she turned and looked at her. She shook her head. The little girl suddenly jumped upright, clutching expectantly at her elderly companion's sleeve.

"Nan," the teenager murmured, addressing one of the older women as she puzzled over the little one's behaviour, "Let Marina continue the treatment. She could use the practice."

The woman gasped, clutching the child. "But! She's so young. Can she do something so hard?" True to form, the little girl scowled at this insult to her abilities.

"Let her," the teenager repeated, waving a hand, "It's just finishing up anyway. She can do that." Pushing passed Naruto, she strode out into the morning air. She paused, brushing a hand across her face and her eyes locked with Gaara's.


	35. Chapter 6c

He stood still. The new dawn played softly in the sky above, stretching out into the twisting crimson clouds. Wind tugged gently at his dark red hair as he kept his bare arms folded tightly over his flak jacket, his demeanour entirely impassive.

"This is about the Hime, isn't it?" he murmured, staring at the Rowna's teenage leader. She moved until she stood mere feet away from him, the same breeze that pulled at him catching the folds of her dress around her knees and the loose ends of her headscarf. "Ren's sister? She seems to be focus of most of the hostility around here."

Shadows still clung to the Rowna camp, turning over their jagged tents and teeming in the trampled grass and upturned soil. Kakashi stood next to Gaara, regarding the teenager with something of his usual apathy. To Naruto's more experienced eyes though, he looked a little stiff. His hand was twitching faintly towards his weapon's pouch.

Naruto glared at the teenager's back as she ignored him, or rather stood as still a performer waiting for the theatre lights, letting Sakura, Temari and Kai emerge from the tent behind him. Kankurou appeared several seconds later, pulling on his shirt.

Kakashi sighed softly beneath his mask. He and the two boys had gone ahead, Ren claiming that he needed to look after his sister, who had fallen unconscious with exhaustion not long after her return to the shore. At the moment, Kakashi was feeling more and more justified in his assumption that the Seishin shinobi was stalling; seemingly afraid of the reaction he and his sister might get if they appeared near the Rowna camp.

"The Hime?" the teenage priestess repeated, folding her arms as she turned her head slightly to make eye contact with everyone in the clumsy circle, "Yes, I suppose you could call her that. The daimyo's chosen successor. We tend to prefer the term 'the Bakemono' around here."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, speaking before the others could react. "Hardly appropriate for a member of the daimyo's family."

The teenager laughed, smothering her giggles with a wave of her hands. "Oh, she's not his family," she smirked, shaking her head, "The position of Seishin's daimyo was taken over by the ninja clans here long ago – and they chose their head the same way you do." She paused, looking around. Her eyes caught Naruto's. Involunatrily, he found himself flinching. "The strongest, most powerful, most suitable ninja is chosen as daimyo and stays as such for the rest of his life. The remainder then compete on the same terms to become the heir apparent, his second-in-command, such as the current Hime. It's not a guaranteed station by any means. If another proves more suitable, the title will be given to them. That said," she shook her head, "The Bakemono has occupied that position for many years. So it should. It may not be of the Daimyo's blood, but it was once of ours."

"Was _once_?" Gaara growled, his eyes narrowing. Kakashi moved forward, placing himself just a little between the two oft them. Naruto twitched visibly, his fists clenching and re-clenching.

The teenager returned the Kazekage's gaze unabashed. "We disowned it," she told him, "As soon as we realised what it was: a soulless, inhuman monster – nothing more." Gaara's eyes darkened dangerously, but she barely even moved, "You seem to dislike the terms I'm using? It doesn't matter. I'd just suggest you reconsider your association with it as soon as possible. I'm sure the daimyo has others that can assist you."

"What the hell gives you the right to call her that?" Naruto screamed, charging forward and forcing her to turn around and face him, "How can you say she has no soul?" His fist were shaking so hard they nearly blurred and his face looked angry. Temari's fan was shaking. Kankurou glanced from her to their younger brother, his face torn with a mixture of unidentifiable emotions.

"I know she does not." The teenage girl never raised her voice. She did not even seem intimidated. Her voice remained calm, even as Sakura took a hesitant step towards Naruto. Her eyes were wavering as she saw her friend's back shaking. "_We_ know she does not," the girl continued, "She could not exist if she did."

"What do you mean 'could not exist'?" Temari whispered.

The girl closed her eyes, raising a hand. "Allow me to demonstrate." She turned to Kai. He looked guiltily at the floor.

"It's alright," she smiled coldly, stretching out a hand, "Do you have a weapon?"

Kai looked away and then, with a visible effort, reached into one of his weapons pouches for a kunai. "Look," he burst out suddenly, staring up at her, "I'm not a huge fan of the Bakemono or anything, but I like Ren-sensei. He's a good man… and as for the Bakemono… Well, I mean, she _is_ his sister…" Nevertheless he kept the blade in his hand.

The girl nodded. "I bear Ren-san no ill will," she assured him, her hand still outstretched, "But I must ask, would you scratch the skin on your arm for me?" He gaped at her. It was nothing compared the expression of everyone else. "Just enough to make a mark," she repeated, as Temari did a visible double-take, "Please." He swallowed hard, looking around as if for confirmation.

"This is ridiculous!" Sakura snapped, trying to get between them. "I don't know what you're trying to prove, but…"

"Please," the girl repeated, arresting her without movement. Sakura stared at her. She paused, looking at Naruto who was almost as confused as she was.

It was Kai who recovered first. Taking a deep breath, he nodded slowly at the Rowna girl. Then raising the tip of his kunai against his wrist, he cut upwards in one swift movement, leaving a thin trail of blood.

The teenager gasped, drawing back her own arm and grasping at it. Almost simultaneously there was a yell from inside the tent. Kakurou and Temari were pushed hurriedly aside as the tent flap burst open and one of the old women appeared carrying the little girl.

"I don't know what happened," she cried, "We were just finishing up the jutsu, like you said, when suddenly… Look!" She grabbed the child's arm, holding up the wrist. There was a thin cut, identical to Kai's, running along the lower arm.

The little girl snapped her arm away irritably. "I'm fine," she shrieked, "Fine. Anyway, it's Freya's fault! She made him do it." The girl rubbed the cut with her free hand, kicking at the old woman to be let down again.

"Freya?" The old woman asked in bewilderment, absently setting the child on the floor.

"It's alright, Nan," the teenage girl replied, still holding her own arm, "Take her back inside. She's got a jutsu to finish."

"Wait," Sakura turned, kneeling beside the girl she took her little arm in her hand, pressing a ball of blue chakra into her skin. After a few moments she paused puzzled.

"It doesn't heal as easily as a normal wound, does it?" the teenager laughed mirthlessly, "It's because she's an empath like me, like the Bakemono when it was born." She released her arm, turning so she could show it to all the assembled shinobi. Dried blood marked her skin, where she too had a cut.

"It isn't just feelings, you see," the girl explained, moving back towards Kai and taking his arm. She pressed a small blue ball of chakra against his skin. Within seconds the wound had closed and disappeared. "Like mine, Marina's body senses the pain of others around her and takes it in, feeling it as if it was its own. It even creates a wound on her as if she had been the one hurt. The same on me," she paused, releasing Kai and rubbing her brow with her uninjured arm, "I honestly forgot Marina was within range or I would have avoided hurting her. Shows you how used I am to her presence. A Rowna Empath does not easily forget these things." Her eyes met the little girl's as the child drew her now fully healed limb back from Sakura and disappeared into the tent. Something unspeakable passed between the two of them and the teenager looked away. Temari frowned at her.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Kankurou demanded, folding his arms and leaning back against one of the tent's support poles, "Why tell us all this?"

"Yeah!" Naruto burst out enthusiastically, "And what does any of this have to do with Nee-san?" He glared at the strange teenager from a few footsteps away, his fists still clenched.

"He actually has a point, you know," Sakura put in carefully, coming to stand next to Naruto, "So you're saying Ren's sister is like you because she had a Rowna Clan member as a mother and can feel other people's feelings – so what? It doesn't really explain why you think you can say all those things about her." Gaara merely continued to stare impassively at the teenage Rowna. Kakashi said nothing, but he was beginning to frown worriedly.

The Rowna girl sighed deeply. "We feel the pain of others as if it was our own, because we feel the emotions of others as if they were our own," she reiterated, "Pain is on many levels just another feeling. As such we could never become shinobi. We probably wouldn't even survive the training. If an opponent were injured, so would we be. If an opponent were killed – if anyone dies in front of us – we die with them. Our abilities cannot be switched on and off. They are constant. We are born that way. We live that way. We die that way." Her face grew more serious as she turned around again, her eyes locking with each member of her audience. Temari's glared at her.

"The only way we could stop it," the teenager regarded Naruto and Gaara carefully as she spoke, "Is to stop feeling altogether. Destroy our ability to have any kind of emotion, any kind of feeling: no pain, no joy, no sadness, no despair, no love… just nothing. A soulless, inhuman being. This is what was done to the Bakemono. That is what it has become."

"You're wrong, _dattebayo_!" Naruto roared, his fists shaking, "Nee-san can feel. She's a nice person! She…"

"She killed my brother!" another voice interrupted him. It was Momoka. She stood several feet away from the group, her eyes half-wild and her hair streaming. It seemed as if she had been crying. Naruto turned to her in surprise, unable to tell how of the conversation she had overheard, but the Rowna telepath merely nodded cordially at her. Apparently she was content to let her take over the conversation.

"You don't understand, do you?" Momoka continued, rounding on Naruto. Even Sakura backed away, "She killed my O'Nii-san and a load of fellow shinobi. She's a heartless evil being who murdered her own comrades. Don't trust her. It would have been better if she was never born." Her hands were shaking and there were sobs in her words.

Naruto shook his head. "That's not…"

"She's a murderer!" Momoka screamed, grabbing his arms and shaking him.

"Yes, I am." The voice was quiet and came from the opposite direction from the one Momka had appeared in. Kakashi looked around in surprise. Kai panicked and jumped to attention. Sakura's eyes went wide. Temari and Kankurou merely frowned. Momoka shook all over at what she saw over Naruto's shoulder. Tears were now openly streaming down her face and she seemed about ready to fly into a hysterical rage. There in the gathering dawn stood Ren and his sister.

* * *

I don't normally interrupt at this point, but my mother insisted – and I mean '_insisted_' – on saying a few words. Here they are:

Blobby eughhh dribbe spondalicious sclurggyboo Mokey Fleebleo

I'm sorry if you expected sanity.


	36. Chapter 6d

It was bitingly cold in the audience chamber. Breath fogged upwards from around the table. People shivered despite the fact that they were indoors and that somebody had possessed the sense to equip each seat with a heated cushion and footrest.

Gaara barely noticed. He stared blankly at the sheets of paper in his hands, letting Kakashi's endless report wash over him unheeded. His thumb rubbed softly over the white margin, the words gradually merging into senseless black smudges. He closed his eyes…

"…Kazekage-dono?"

Gaara started upright, staring wide-eyed at the Tsuchikage. A large white cloud of frozen breath blossomed in front of the Kazekage's face and he blinked rapidly a couple of times before he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he murmured, rubbing his forehead, "I didn't quite catch that… Could you…?"

"I asked," the Tsuchikage sighed, folding his hands into a steeple in front of him, "If you could verify Kakashi-san's report? I asked that four times now. Are you sure you're feeling all right?"

Gaara winced. "I'm fine," he muttered, holding up a hand to ward off the inquiry, "I just have a lot on my mind. Sorry."

The Tsuchikage shot him a sideways glance, evidently still concerned. "Kakashi was just telling us about the opponents you faced," Tsunade prompted helpfully from beside Gaara, "He felt you might have something to add?"

"Hn," he nodded, looking into the round. They were assembled, all six of them including the Raikage, around the same small table in the conference room. The last of the hidden village leaders to arrive was a broad, muscular man, dark-skinned with a tiny goatee, bushy eyebrows and white hair bound back over his head in cornrows. Some way from the paper-strewn table, nearer the door, stood Kakashi with his hands clasped behind his back and his body angled so they could all see him easily. He was unusually lackadaisical, even for him. Gaara guessed that the temperature in the room was getting to him.

"I was saying," Kakashi continued, filling the silence as the Kazekage examined him, "Our original enemy consisted of a group what were, or were once, children. They seem to possess a particular type of jutsu enabling them to produce a particularly vicious smoke, which they used as weapon. I presume it was controlled with the use of chakra. Once away from them it was able to attain a certain amount of solidity, enough for a strangle-hold, and it… it seemed almost to possess a consciousness of its own."

"It was as if a part of them became the smoke," Gaara muttered, leaning back in his chair and dropping his papers on the table, "Full of nothing but a malicious intent to kill."

"Consciousness projection?" Seishin's daimyo looked up sharply, whistling softly through his teeth, "Nobody's heard of that being done for years…" The remainder of the room stared at him.

"What do you mean?" the Mizukage turned, "What's 'Consciousness Projection'?" She leant forward instinctively and the Tsuchikage craned his neck, trying to see passed her.

"It's an old jutsu," the daimyo grunted, scratching the side of his head and moving backwards in his chair, "Practised by an off-branch of the Rowna Clan. That's our resident physic clan – I believe some of you met them; tribe of sassy, stuck-up Amazons, the lot of them. " He paused, looking down at the table in contemplation. "This particular jutsu involved casting some of your own mental energy into an inanimate object, causing it to temporarily come to life," the words came out rather more fiercely now as he focused on his recollections, "The lifespan of the jutsu is usually limited by the chakra of the caster, but it can be prolonged or you can widen the affected area widened by allowing it absorb the chakra of others around it." Tsunade blinked, listening intently. "All told, it's a pretty remarkable skill," the daimyo went on, "But unfortunately it was pretty much exclusively possessed by a particularly troubled branch of the clan and they've all but died out. We've got a few descendants left here and there, mixed with other branches, but this particular jutsu was thought to be entirely extinct. I'm quite surprised to hear of it now." He finished, his nose and mouth pressing against his fist as he glowered at the tabletop.

"It wasn't limited to smoke," Gaara interrupted, looking at him, "They seemed to be able to combine it with other elements around them, forging still stronger opponents out of rock and water."

The daimyo nodded. "That'd certainly be in the realms of possibility," he murmured, his eyes still fixed downward, "There are records of a couple of Rowna able to do that similar things with their own chakra."

The Raikage exchanged a worried glance with the Tsuchikage. "You keep mentioning these Rowna," he began, with Tsunade nodding at him encouragingly, "Any chance they are involved?"

A derisive snort emitted from the daimyo, and he glanced up, shaking his head at the Raikage. "I'd say not so much as your Mum's eyeball. No chance that I could think of, no," he laughed good-naturedly, shrugging as he sat back in his chair, "I'll be honest. I've got a bit of thing going on with the Rowna at the moment – it's not making them friendly towards the official government, but the Rowna have been here longer than even the shinobi clans. They're fiercely loyal, patriotic-like and protective of their lands and their people – and they don't give a rat's chewed tail about anything from beyond their own island. I can't see why they'd need or even want to have soldiers of this kind of capacity. Anyway, they'd slit their throats before they did anything that'd harm a kid. Children are sacrosanct to the Rowna. I guess that's a woman thing too…" He waved a clawed hand across his eyes, dismissively.

"What else can you tell us about these children?" the Mizukage inquired, turning towards Gaara and Tsunade, "I believe you brought one back with you…"

"They are definitely not natural," Gaara murmured, rubbing his brow, "It seems as if someone is deliberately creating them with these abilities. My siblings and I came across what appeared to be a dumping station for several unsuccessful experiments. The child we brought back was one of these." The Raikage winced unhappily and the Mizukage glanced down at her fingernails with an unusual amount of interest.

Tsunade only nodded, straightening, "Shizune and I are still only about half-way through our analysis of him," she railed off, reaching absently for a few of her notes scattered on the table before her, "But we would agree that someone appears to have tampered with his DNA. How successful that someone was or what abilities the child has developed from that remain to be seen." She flicked absently through a few pages, looking for her place as she reached for a glass of water and took a sip. The Tsuchikage made an impatient grunting noise. She glared at him. "The research papers the Kazekage's team brought along with the child were most useful though," she carried on, setting down the glass and adjusting the page as she found what she was looking for, "There are multiple references to 'failing to develop suitable mental connections' and 'retaining too much individual identity'. It seems as if they were actively trying to remove the very essence of these children's personality and consciousness, turning them into a multiple drones with a single hive mind. This collective mind then seems to respond to orders placed by a controlling consciousness on the same mental wavelength. Like a Queen Bee with her workers." The Mizukage widened her eyes, straightening up. She was impressed, despite herself.

"Or a Queen Ant," the Raikage muttered darkly. He shifted and glanced irritably at his hands. The word 'bee' appeared to have antagonised him for some reason.

Tsunade barely blinked. "If you like," she shrugged, addressing Gaara instead, "That appears to have been the reason these children followed you for as long as they did. The child you brought with you hadn't fully lost his own mind, but its seems his mental presence still projected on a similar wavelength, so the others could sense him and followed him as if he were their 'Queen Ant'." She shot the Raikage an amused glance as she used the term. "Presumably attracted by a consciousness stronger than their own," she finished. The daimyo whistled softly between his teeth and the Mizukage sat up in alarm, her long tresses of hair fluttering over her shoulders. On the other hand, the Raikage just looked blank, as if he was running the conversation back through his mind a second time just to try and understand it.

Gaara frowned. "They were attacking us long before that though."

"Indeed," Tsunade nodded, dropping her papers back on the table and sitting back, "It's likely that this was under orders by their real 'Queen' mind to protect the island, but there seems to be a limit to the range they can sense each other from. That's why I suspect later on they were following the child rather than orders."

The Tsuchikage closed his eyes. "So somebody on that island knows we were there," he grunted disparagingly.

Tsunade nodded again. "Almost certainly."

"Do you think they could still sense the child if they come close enough?" the Mizukage interjected, leaning forwards and addressing both Tsunade and Gaara with an anxious expression, "What about the ones that followed you? Could they still sense him?"

It was the daimyo who interrupted her with a wave of his hand, drawing everyone's attention back towards himself. "My hime informs me that the various members of the Rowna Clan who treated the boy, shortly after his arrival, successfully sealed the child's mind back into his body," he rolled his eyes, waving his hand again in apparent frustration, "Whatever that means. Damned if I know, you'd have to ask her. She also informs me that she knocked your pursuers so far out to sea she doesn't think they would even know where Seishin is, let alone return. Chances are they just went home again."

"There seems to be a lot of telepathy going on around here," the Raikage grumbled, kneading his forehead with his hands, "Must be a Seishin influence…"

"My jounin certainly think so," the daimyo sighed, pushing away a stack of papers on the table. It collapsed in on itself, spilling over in a messy heap of printed white.

The assembled kages simply stared at him. "What on earth do you mean?" Tsunade demanded, turning towards him in confusion.

"I've been hearing nothing but that from one of my senior jounin after he returned from escorting your scouting party," the daimyo explained, without meeting her eyes, "Apparently some of the child's injuries reminded him of something. Now you're talking of Rowna type abilities and DNA… He won't damn shut up about it." He sat back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. He suddenly seemed very old and very tired.

Tsunade straightened, exchanging confused looks with the other Kages. "Bodily injuries, you mean?" she inquired, leaning back towards him, "There seemed to be some strange circular patterned bruises on the child's skin, as if he's been hit with an engraved circular object… and there was something weird embedded in his neck. It seemed to stretch right back into the nerves of his spine…" She tapped her finger on the table as she listed each item.

The daimyo closed his eyes. His face had grown so ashen that one might be forgiven for thinking Tsunade had just pronounced his death sentence. "So that's true then," he mumbled, hunched over in his chair with is head bowed, "Maybe that boy-ninja of ours has a point after all…"

The Mizukage leaned forward on her folded arms, fixing him straight in the eye. "Please elaborate." It wasn't really a request.

He did not reply for quite a while. Instead he sat there, staring at his hands as if looking for some kind of inspiration. "I wonder," he began at last, sitting upright in his chair and staring coldly into the round. He seemed to have made up his mind about something, "How much do you know about Seishin's hime?"


	37. Chapter 6e

"I don't get it," Naruto snapped, glaring at Sakura.

She breathed a sigh that might have taken about six years from her life and glared back, walking away. "It's none of our business," she retorted coldly from over our shoulder, "Don't get involved." The tent flap swished closed behind her.

The deep earthy colours of the Rowna camp were just as they had left them, as was the strange sweet spicy smell from the Rowna's burning pots. Shadows churned about the quietening tent, but the rosy remains of the fire glowed a soft welcome. The shattered cushions and pillows had now been arranged into lines of makeshift camp beds on the floor. The two old women and their little charge were just about to leave as Sakura entered, but they stopped briefly to update her on the status of their mutual patient on their way out. It seemed he was doing well. The medical ninja knelt by his side, stroking his strange little forehead as she gave him a brief once over for her own piece of mind.

They seemed to have redressed him in some kind of linen nightwear and wrapped tightly in thickly woven woollen blankets by the fire. Even his head was covered by a warm velvety cloth and propped on downy pillows leaving just his face exposed as he slept peacefully in the warm glow, looking much healthier than he had before with a slight rosy tinge to his cheeks. Sakura smiled a little before she stood up.

She had barely straightened before she noticed Naruto sulking behind her. "Why not?" he groaned, apparently still caught up in their previous conversation, "This isn't right." He followed her towards the bedrolls, his arms folded and his face set with an unhappy determination that she recognised all too well.

"And it's not our business," she reminded him sternly, removing her shoes and various pouches, "The only thing you're going to do by interfering is annoy people." She glanced over at her most long-standing team mate. It wasn't that she was unsympathetic to his feelings, but sometimes he really had to learn when it simply wasn't right to go barging into other people's business. Sakura reached behind her head, untying the fabric knots of her protector.

It wasn't even as if they really knew what was going on. Everything about this country seemed to be a mass of internal politics and secrets. Perhaps they would be able to discover more if they spoke to Ren or his sister again. Perhaps it was better to take the Rowna and Momoka's advice and just stay well clear of the pair of them. As things were, a monster or not or a murder or not, Ren's sister was clearly someone trusted by the daimyo and instructed to offer them any assistance they required. They needed her help and she clearly did not relish their interference. There was nothing to do, for now, except accept that with a certain degree of professionalism that sadly – for all his many virtues – Naruto did not always exhibit easily. Sakura sighed again and curled up in bed, pulling the cover over her head to signal that the discussion was closed.

Naruto slumped down on a bedroll that had clearly been laid out for him and folded his arms, still glaring. "This isn't right," he repeated, scowling at the floor.

_'She's a murderer!'_

_'Yes, I am.'_

The scene was still replaying in his head. She had said nothing as she appeared with her brother, nothing to her accuser, nothing to any of them. Ren supported her silently as she leaned against him, obviously unsteady, with one arm locked tightly around her midriff. The other was braced against her shoulder, pushing her upright against his chest. Her long gray-brown fringe fell across her face and loose strands of hair curled around her ears and neck. Her crumpled haori shrouded her thin frame, hiding her clothes. She seemed pale and tired.

She had not said a word. Instead her eyes simply locked for a few seconds with the teenage Rowna telepath.

"We left your wheelchair behind the main tent," the girl had told her coldly, "Get it and go." Every syllable the teenager uttered had been layered with repugnance. She had crossed her arms against her chest, her face and body language screaming sheer hatred.

Seishin's hime had done nothing in response. With her brother's help, she had passed through their loose circle of still bodies. She had not looked at them. Only when the pair had almost vanished behind the tent did she turn her head ever so slightly, the few strands of fly-away hair wavering as she whispered, "Thank you."

Kakashi had told him it was none of his business. It was the internal politics of another nation. Interference from them would likely only result in ruffled feathers and a stirring of hostility between the country of the Mind and the country of Fire. Naruto wanted to hit him, but Sakura had said the same thing.

He lay back on his bedroll and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of Kankurou returning to the tent and settling down beside him. Temari had apparently disappeared somewhere to wash her hair and it was anyone's guess as to where his sensei and Gaara had disappeared off to.

It was their choice whether they chose to sleep or not. Technically it was now morning, but seeing as none of them had been able to lie down at all during the night they had been given the chance to take a nap in the relative quiet of the main tent. The mission may have been long, but the Rowna were nothing if not highly conscientious hosts. They had actually offered to take the shinobi with them across the island towards the major port city from which they could get a ride back to the capital with relative ease. With their guests so clearly weary though, they had also insisted on giving them a chance to rest up and recuperate first. The camp was even kept relatively quiet with its members having retired back to their sleeping quarters or started on the morning chores in the early dawn.

Nobody had seen Ren or his sister, they were probably far away from the camp by now, but Kai and Momoka had remained with them. The girl was curled up in the farthest corner of the tent, wrapped in her blankets and apparently asleep. Kai sat near the tent flap, squatting on a few cushions, his body tilted so he could see outside. He played absently with a kunai, but his eyes remained fixed resolutely on the encroaching dawn. Although he had practically shrunken from the other shinobi as they entered, it was obvious that he was keeping watch for their safety.

Naruto sat up. Crumpling the blankets, he scrambled to his feet, causing Sakura to turn uneasily. Kai regarded him wearily as he approached, carefully putting away his kunai.

"I don't believe Nee-san's a murderer," Naruto told him flatly, his knuckles pressing into his folded elbows and his feet planted firmly shoulder-width apart beneath him, "What's going on?" His eyes glared. They seemed to bore holes into the other boy, piercing straight through him.

Kai looked away uneasily. "To be honest with you," he murmured, shifting backwards against the fabric of the tent and picking at his sleeve, "I don't know much about it. There was an incident years ago, but that was long before I became a shinobi. You'd have to ask Momoka-chan… I just do my job… and the Bakemono's been the hime round here since before I was a genin…"

That unfortunate comment seemed to really wake up Naruto's ire. "Why do you call her that?" he thundered, advancing on Kai, "_Dattebayo_! Doesn't she have a name like everybody else?" His arms swept to his sides, pulling backwards. Sakura buried her head in the blanket, unwilling to face what she knew was coming. So much for telling Naruto not to interfere…

Kai just looked startled. He froze, with the other boy's hand mere inches from his collar. "… I…I dunno." He stared blankly at Naruto, shaking his head.

The blonde Konoha shinobi blinked, his arms dropping to his sides. "What don't you know?"

"I don't know her name," Kai repeated, backing away to a more comfortable distance, "Everyone just calls her the Bakemono… or Hime, I suppose… some of them do anyway." He shrugged, scratching his short-haired scalp. "I've never even heard Ren use her name…"

Despite herself Sakura sat up, pushing the blankets away. She noticed that Kankurou had done the same. His attention was fixed on the conversation between the other two males. The smeared lines of his face paint were knitted as he frowned, unsure of what to do or say. He clearly thought no more of interfering in another village's internal politics than anyone else, but on the other hand… information was key – particularly when everyone seemed to want to thrust it in your face. Sakura gave him a sympathetic smile, feeling very much the same.

Naruto glared at the shinobi in front of him. "Why?" His arms folded themselves again.

"How should I know?" Kai paused, thinking, "If it helps, her surname would be 'Seishin' I suppose. At least that's Ren-sensei's." He waved a hand for clarification, "That's the name he took after they became Wards of the Village. I guess hers would be the same."

Naruto just seemed confused. "What does that mean?" He squatted downwards, making eye contact as he hovered without quite sitting on the floor.

"Wards of the Village?" Kai repeated, rubbing his neck, leaning back into the tent folds again. "Like 'a child in the custody of the hidden village'," he gestured wildly as he explained the term, " 'Belonging to the village rather than a family'. It's normally what happens to disputed children or orphans with high chakra levels, but the Bake… O'Hime-sama got her title around the same time, so I guess that was the reason. They were taken from their father's clan and given over to the village. Obviously you have to be a minor for that to work. There are no custody rights for an adult. I think they were about fourteen or something…" He shrugged, fiddling with his collar.

"Why?" Naruto still looked blank.

"Huh," Kai stared helplessly back at him. Sakura pushed away the last of her blankets, crawling out of her bed to join them. Even Kankuro had gotten to his feet. A looming figure in crumpled black with his painted eyes narrowed as he watched them.

"Why did they take them from their family?" Naruto demanded, sitting down with a thud and letting his hands slap onto his folded legs.

Kai shook his head. "I dunno. I guess maybe they didn't want the future daimyo to have family ties…"

"Or maybe the Iriai Clan got sick of having a murderer in their mists." Naruto spun around at the sound of the voice, propping himself on his arms in his haste.

The half-light caught the shadowy figure of Momoka rising from beneath her blankets. Her hair fell in messy strands over her shoulders and she shivered, her bare arms catching the stray drafts in her secluded corner.

Kai just snorted dismissively, straightening up slightly as he turned his torso to face her. "That was years before they left the clan. Gimme a break."

"So what?" Momoka retorted angrily, striding forwards into the dim glow of the campfire, "Maybe they did just get sick of living with the shame." She turned her head away from him, folding her arms across her chest. "You wanna know what happened?" The last question was clearly aimed at the three foreign shinobi, who were all regarding her with a strange mix of confusion or contemplation.

Kankurou just shrugged, taking a few steps towards her as he bared his jaw with a sardonic lift in his eyebrows. "You're going to tell us anyway…" he murmured, stating the obvious.

Momoka looked away, gazing down into the fire, but her fist clenched in determination. "Years ago," she began, rather hesitantly, "Back during the war, when I was really small, my O'Nii-san and a load of other special jounin and chuunin were competing in the Jounin Trials…"

"Jounin Trials?" Sakura started, glancing around in confusion, "What…?"

Kai rolled his eyes as he leant back on his arms, letting his elbows prop him up from behind. "I dunno how you become jounin in Konohagakure," he told her, clearly beginning to get fed up with this entire conversation, "But we traditionally have this big endurance test thing that people nominated to be jounin have to undergo. It's like their last assessment before they become real jounin. There's usually a lot of secrecy and old rites surrounding it – I don't know the details. Obviously, I've never done it." He shrugged once, sighing to himself.

Naruto frowned, running a hand through his hair. "So your O'Nii-san was about to take this test thing?" he inquired, exchanging a bewildered glance with Sakura before turning back to Momoka.

"He did take it," she replied softly, looking downwards again, "Him and a whole load of others… and her… the Bakemono…"

That made Kai snap upwards in alarm. He practically fell over himself, as he struggled to hurry. "The Hime took her test at the same time as your O'Nii-san?" he gasped, righting himself, "That must have been years ago. How old was she?"

Momoka stared at him. Her face was blank. "I dunno… young, I guess…"

"Really young," Kai whistled softly, sitting back again, "Didn't your O'Nii-san die when you were about three?" Sakura and Naruto exchanged bewildered glances, apparently entirely lost by this turn in the conversation. Kankurou looked as if he was starting to lose interest. He grunted, shifting irritably on his feet as he folded his arms.

Momoka seemed to be feeling something along a similar vein, because her whole body had stiffened and her brows contorted angrily. "That's not really the point, is it?" she hissed, her fists shaking slightly.

Kai let himself collapse backwards across the floor, pulling out a pillow to support his head. "I dunno, it might be…"

"It is not!" Momoka snapped. Her emerged in soft ragged gasps and her face remained screwed up as she stared at the floor. Naruto scrambled onto his knees, a hand instinctively reaching out towards the girl. She barely seemed to notice as she stood there, visibly shaking. "They went into the trials together, all of them," she whispered. The others kept nervously quiet as she resumed her story, "For days they competed, co-operated and fought… Whatever they were told to do. Then on the last day – just when everyone was getting ready to congratulate the new jounin – they opened the door on the room in which the last trial was held… and there they were… Bodies. The bodies of all the competitors all lined up in the arena and her… her standing over them… covered in their blood." Her arms hugged her sides, as she finished in a voice that sounded as if she might be choking on her own sobs. Her head remained bowed, the dimming firelight washing up against her from below, as her mane of dark hair spilled across her shoulders and tangled over her face.

There was a slight mewing noise from the area of the fire. The child shifted in his sleep, snoring slightly as the few dying embers warmed his face.

Kankurou snorted, turning away, back towards his bed. "Sounds more like an urban myth than something that actually happened."

Momoka's head snapped upright, black hair flying everywhere. "It did happen," she cried, the sobs audible in her voice now, "I should know, shouldn't I? Do you know how long my Mother cried? How I grew up watching her mourn on her own as everyone slowly forgot? My O'Nii-san died that day!" Her fists shook violently.

"Alright! Alright!" Kankorou drew back in alarm, "It happened. I get you. It was real." Sakura glanced worriedly at Naruto and then back at Momoka. The blonde from Konoha on the other hand didn't seem to know what to think. He watched her quietly, his eyes drowning in some unreadable emotion. Kai was staring awkwardly at his own hands.

"That's why I can't forgive her," Momoka whispered; her voice still strained as she awkwardly ran both hands over her face to push back the loose curls of hair, "Why I'll never forgive the Bakemono. She made my mother suffer; she made me suffer; she made the families of the others suffer. For years we've all endured this pain alone. Nobody understanding. Every year I see all the families gathering in the graveyard. Fewer and fewer people come each time, but, the families, they always come. The people whose lives she ruined. And why, because she betrayed her comrades – her own people – and nobody even knows why she did it." She turned away from then, staring into the shadows of the tent. Her fist clenched and unclenched as her torso shook, her mane of curly hair fanning out around her shoulders.

"Momoka-chan…" Kai stood up. He moved forwards tentatively, stretching out a hand for her long before she was in reach.

"Don't," she snapped, drawing further away into the shadows of the tent. Her voice grew strangely hard as she continued to speak. "By rights, she should have been killed. Betraying your village and your comrades like that is a capitol crime – she should have died for what she did. Instead they made her Hime." She spat the word. Her shoulders were shaking and her voice was slowly taking a hysterical edge.

Unsure of what to do, Kankurou turned towards Sakura. Then he froze, staring at her. She was gaping at Momoka as if seeing a ghost. Her face was pale and her round eyes wide. One hand was stretched downwards, clutching Naruto's jacket, but her arm was shaking. If anything her team mate seemed even worse… He swayed slightly, even though he was sitting and Kankurou wondered briefly if he was going to be ill.

"They gave her the village for her own," Momoka murmured, "She runs this place. That creature. She runs this place. From the shadows, but… Everyone in the village and in the castle, they all answer to her. That…that… That's why I'm a shinobi. I'm going to keep going until I become stronger than her. Then, one day, I'll make her pay. I'll make her die for what she did, the way she should have done then. I'll kill her myself. Please, I have to kill her. She has to die…"

Kai drew up towards her, taking her arm and spinning her around. "Momoka-chan," he whispered, half shaking her.

Sticky riverlets of water glued strands of her hair to her face. Her small nose and rounded cheeks were flushed and her big brown eyes swam in her tears. "Just let me kill her… Please just let her die…"

Kai pushed his forehead against hers, as if he could force some calm back into her that way. His grip on her arms grew tight. "Momoka." His face was pleading.

"No!" the cry was Naruto's. He had leapt to his feet. His limbs flew outwards as he howled and hurtled forward, but then he crumpled to the floor almost as quickly. Something held him back. A force gripped his shoulder tightly. He peered around and his eyes met Kakashi's.


	38. Chapter 6f

The silence wore on for a few moments, as the old man stared into the gap between his folded hands and blades. His mind was clearly elsewhere. Looking up, his eyes swept across the five assembled Kages and his bare torso heaved a deep sigh, making his chains clank around his chest.

"Or perhaps," the daimyo suggested, "Not so much 'her'..." He closed his eyes. His scar stretched slightly as his brow moved.

"What are you on about?' the Raikage demanded, slapping the palm of his hand against the table. His eyes narrowed as he regarded the old ninja and Tsunade and the Mizukage exchanged worried looks.

There was more silence in the room. Little foggy clouds of breath rose around the table. A stream of larger, more ragged ones emitted from Seishin's leader.

Then the daimyo stood up, pushing back his chair with an audible clatter. The glow of the walls bit into his frame, somehow making him seem colder and taller than he really was. "I'm sorry," he murmured, without looking at them. Dark shadows moved across his face as he spoke. "It seems as if one of Seishin's missing nin is involved in this." The Raikage snorted loudly. The Mizukage gave him an irritated glare. Gaara glanced sideways at the pair of them and they stopped what they were doing like a pair of scolded schoolchildren.

"Well, that would explain the proximity to this country," Tsunade muttered, leaning back in her chair and folding her hands, "Familiar territory. But it is not as if you're the only ones to have suffered problems with renegade ninja. Take the Akatsuki, for example…"

This visibly annoyed the daimyo. He turned around, glaring at her with a venom that left her taken aback. "We've hardly have 'problems' with missing nin," he snapped, folding his arms, "In fact we pursue a particularly vigorous extermination program were they are concerned. I'm proud to say there are almost none." Kakashi stiffed, moving forwards, but Tsunade hastily waved him to a stop. She beckoned him towards her and whispered quietly in his ear. He glanced back at his leader in surprise, but nodded and left the room with a determined air. Gaara watched him go impassively.

"There's no need to get cocky, you know," the Raikage grunted, waving a finger at the daimyo, "Whatever you say, you seem to have at least one left." The Mizukage nodded in agreement.

Seishin's leader paused; his expression softening as he chewed on what remained of his lower lip in contemplation. "Yes," he murmured, with an almost apologetic glance at Tsunade, "But this one – for reasons we won't go into – has proven a little tougher than the rest. He's been gone for thirteen years. We haven't been able to trace him…"

The Mizukage frowned, playing thoughtfully with a loose lock of hair, but the Tsuchikage was suddenly angry. He narrowed his eyes; his bushy white eyebrows taking a menacing slant over his bulbous red nose. "Are you trying to suggest we've all assembled for what is effectively an internal matter of your country?" His voice emerged as a low growl.

The daimyo gazed at him with a strangely weary expression. One hand fumbled for the back out his chair and he let himself fall back into it with a slump. "No," he muttered, shaking his head, "But I wish I was." He placed his elbows down on the table, letting his folded hands and blades prop up his head as he addressed the wooden surface. "I'm afraid that during our investigations of him," he mumbled softly, as if the words did not come easily, "We discovered that, even while he was still in this village, this particular ninja had secret contact with someone now known to be working for Orochimaru… There's no evidence, but it is possible he had contact with the Akatsuki as well…"

Tsunade raised her eyebrows. "They were still cooperating at that time..."

"Exactly." The daimyo nodded without looking up.

"Why did you hold back this kind of information?" Gaara demanded, rising out of his chair. His breath pooled in faint white clouds around him. "We could have used this much earlier."

The daimyo spread his fingers, kneading his temples with the tips. "Honestly, I didn't think it was relevant," he murmured, closing his eyes again. "Or maybe I just hoped it wasn't…"

The Raikage shook his head in disgust. "So who is this guy?" he snapped, bringing his one good arm up to rub over his hair. The Tsuchikage made a noise of agreement, tilting his head in interest.

"Kuroppoi Masaru, your stepson, right?" the Mizukage replied, addressing the daimyo. Her long layers of flip-tipped hair cascaded over her shoulders as she turned towards him. "He's the only one that would match that description." Involuntarily Tsunade covered her open mouth with one hand. Gaara stiffened.

"Your stepson is a…" the Raikage froze, turning to stare at the old daimyo. The man just looked away from the table.

"He's even listened in our Bingo Books," the Mizukage added, interrupting him, "An A-Rank Criminal, if not S-Rank. A scientist or similar, I think…"

The Raikage frowned, glancing up at the ceiling as a thought struck him. "Come to think of it," he muttered, mulling over the words, "Kuroppoi Masaru… I think he's in ours too…"

"How do you know it was him?" Gaara inquired, leaning forward. Tsunade moved slightly to allow him more room.

Seishin's daimyo did not move. He took a deep breath, releasing it with words he would have preferred never to speak. "Because the marks on these children and their training… bear a striking resemblance to the Goddess of War project."

The Tsuchikage blinked, staring first at the daimyo and then at the other assembled Kages. "The what?"


	39. Chapter 6g

"It isn't like a shinobi to be calling for his comrades' death," Kakashi snapped, staring at Momoka as she sobbed against Kai's chest.

"But it is like one to kill them?" she retorted, turning towards him, "Murder them in cold blood for no reason? That's the ninja way, is it?"

"Momoka…" Naruto glanced uncertainly at his sensei. He took an instinctive step towards the girl, reaching out a hand. Kakashi loosened the pressure on his shoulder, letting him go.

The blonde moved before anyone could stop him. He seized the girl's arms, pulling her away from Kai so he could stare into her face. "You can't do this," he breathed, staring down into her agitated face, "I dunno what happened to your Nii-san, but I do know that you can't do this. _Dattebayo_! It'll consume you and you'll end up a monster. I know what it's like to loose some you care about, but you can't just live for revenge. If you do it'll never end." He barely paused for breath, as the words streamed from his mouth. "You'll kill her and then what? You won't be happy. Your mother won't be happy. Will you kill more people after that to try and complete your revenge? Or will others come and kill you for those you murdered? It'll never end. _Dattebayo_!" he gasped, "You'll just get caught up in an endless cycle of violence and everyone you care about will be miser…"

There was a crack as she slapped him. Surprised, he lost his grip on her arms, falling backwards and nearly toppling into the fire. The sleeping child moaned as he thudded into the ground beside it. His legs buckled over the little body and his behind only inches from squashing its tiny arm. "What the hell do you know?" Momoka cried, her fists shaking, "What gives you the right to lecture me? She's a murder and an animal! She deserves to die!"

Kai took her shoulders and pulled her back towards him again. "Momoka-chan, calm down. You're talking about a senior officer," he reminded her, her voice stern as he forced her to listen to him, "The Hime, of all things. You know what'll happen if Ren-sensei hears you?"

"Like I give a damn," she retorted, glaring at him. The firelight was caught in her hair giving her tear-stained slight reddish glow. "He should stop supporting her just because she's his sister and…"

"I doubt he does," Kakashi interrupted her, moving beside Naruto into the brighter area in the centre of the tent, "He's not the type."

She stopped. Pushing herself out of Kai's grasp she turned on Kakashi, her black locks half-wild in the firelight. "What do you know?" she growled, a shadowy black now were the red had been, "How dare you just turn up and…"

Kakashi put up a hand, as if that would halt her verbal onslaught. "You know…" he behan, carefully addressing the girl's team mate, "This clan of their father's you said they left? You said it was the Iriai, right?"

"Huh…" Kai's eyes widened and he staggered backwards slightly. He was clearly lost with the sudden change in the conversation. "Yeah, I guess…" he muttered, rubbing his forehead, "Yeah, that's right. Iriai… Why?"

Kakashi only visible eye narrowed. "As in Iriai Naomi?"

* * *

"The Goddess of War project?" the Mizukage repeated, frowning as she tested the words on her tongue, "Isn't that the project used to train Iriai Naomi, your Hime?"

"It's Seishin Naomi now," the daimyo inserted absently, slowly sitting up, "She's not been called Iriai for years…"

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Iriai Naomi?" she hissed, her eyes circling upwards as realization hit her. "You're talking about _that_ Iriai Naomi?" She leaned forward, her mouth still slightly open.

Gaara stared at her, "What's so special about…?"

* * *

"I suppose you're a little young to know," Kakashi began, looking at Naruto and Sakura's blank expressions, "It was quite a few years ago now."

"But there was a time," he began, training his eyes on Momoka and Kai. They stiffened instinctively and the girl glanced downwards, her arms folded. "When the Seishin country actually became quite close with the alliance between Suna and Konoha. So close in fact that once they actually sent a team to participate in the Chuunin Exams."

Naruto openly stared at his sensei, sitting up with a start. "Seriously?" Kankurou shifted awkwardly, as he stood in the shadowy sleeping area, looking at Kakashi with a curious expression.

"Yes," the masked man nodded, with an affectionate expression towards his pupil, "It was a singular experiment and, then as politics and alliances shifted backwards, it was never repeated." Naruto frowned, trying to work out what he had said.

"Oh…" Sakura seemed vaguely disappointed. Kankurou just shrugged. "So?" he demanded, moving closer towards them. He waved a hand and the dark outlines of his war paint creased slightly as he scowled in the firelight. Clearly he wanted Kakashi to get to the point.

"But the one time they did," the jounin went on, ignoring him. His eyes reattached themselves to the Seishin shinobi, "Their team was captained by a six year old girl."

Kankurou's eyes widened. "It… what?" The other four were speechless. Even Kai and Momoka stared at each other in bewilderment.

"Iriai Naomi," Kakashi repeated, folding his arms and turning into the round. The firelight cast odd shadows over his face. "Six years old. Seishin genin. Was the talk of the town for months afterwards."

"You know…" Kai mumbled, looking away from his fellow chuunin to the jounin, "I think I may have heard something about the Bakemono competing in a foreign test at one stage… I guess that might be it…" He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. Momoka glared at him as if he had somehow betrayed her.

"So?" Kankurou shrugged, recovering himself, "I mean, that's really unusual – but it's not unheard of. A lot of people become ninja very young, especially during war time."

"Yes," Sakura agreed, nodding slowly as fiddled with a strand of hair, "Sasuke's brother Itachi was the same, wasn't he? And you…" She indicated Kakashi with a nod of her head.

His visible eye fixed itself on her as he turned his head in her direction. "It's nevertheless unusual to submit a track record of over fifty successfully completed A- and S-Rank missions for a six year old genin."

"How do you run up fifty A- and S-Rank missions as a genin? _Dattebayo_!" Naruto stammered from beside him, gob-smacked, "Normally they won't let you within a hundred miles of one." His fist pounded against the floor and he sounded mildly resentful.

Sakura closed her eyes with apparent exasperation. "How do run A- and S-Rank missions at the age of six?" she interjected, striding forward towards her sensei and team mate, "That's impossible!" She spread her arms like a barrier as she spoke.

"Oh come on," Kankurou snapped, rolling his eyes at her, "You don't actually believe this do you? It's obvious they made it up." He snorted, glancing away over his folded arms.

"You wish," Kai muttered just a tad too loudly, glaring at him. Momoka stiffened. She had technically been sulking in silence, her eyes trained on the ground, but now her face was equally firm as she glowered at the Suna shinobi.

"Oh yeah?" Kankurou shot back, turning towards the pair, "You had many missions that young, did you?" The sarcasm was practically tangible.

"No, but…" Kai hesitated just a second too long, "The daimyo would never…"

Kakashi raised a hand, calling for silence. "Apparently they did not falsify her entry credentials," he informed them coolly. Kai smirked in triumph. Kankurou wasn't paying attention. His gaze was locked on Kakashi.

"What?" he faltered, his brows knitting.

"It was genuine," Kakashi repeated unfazed, "People checked. And besides, the Seishin authorities are unlikely to have bothered trying such an obvious lie. If she did not have the skills and knowledge to back up their claims, it would have been painfully and embarrassingly obvious during the exam. Instead she aced them and decimated all her opponents, proving their point. Even at six years of age, she was like the Seishin equivalent of an ANBU and I remember being told that the vast majority of her completed missions were assassinations." He paused casting a sidelong glance at the Seishin shinobi, "Not that she killed anyone during this particular test." Momoka eyed him wearily, unsure what to make of that comment.

Kankurou stared. "Then what was she doing in the chunnin exams?" he demanded loudly, shaking his head in confusion, "With a track record like that surely her own country would've just promoted her ages ago. They're not bound by alliance treaties like us, so … no need for exams." He shrugged, making an expanding motion with his hands.

Kakashi raised his visible eyebrow. "They were making a point," he replied, "It was supposed make it glaringly obvious that Seishingakure had the most superior shinobi in the world."


	40. Chapter 6h

"Shinobi in Seishin are bred to be top-quality," the daimyo went on, straightening and addressing the near circle of Kages around the rest of the table. He looked as if he was reclaiming a sterner hold on his demeanour now that the business about his stepson was finally out in the open. "We select only the strongest lines and most powerful abilities." His metal-clawed hands rested on the table in front him; only the fingertips were touching.

The room was still icily cold. The wood and paper screens around them displayed their frozen shadows. The paper lay scattered on the table like drifts of snow.

The Tsuchikage grunted derisively, sitting back in his chair. "That's the same in any village," he retorted coolly, making himself comfortable, "It's hardly special."

To his surprise, the daimyo conceded this with a nod of his head. "But any village does not go so far as to dictate whom their shinobi are allowed to marry or conceive a child with," he suggested, lifting a hand slightly and waving it in a circular motion.

Tsunade blinked. "I'm sorry…?" Her face froze slightly as she processed what had just been said. She looked horrified. The Mizukage glanced away uncomfortably, folding her arms and pulling herself backwards in her chair as if to distance herself from the conversation. Given that Seishingakure and Kirigakure were long standing allies, it was probably not the first time she had heard of this particular custom.

"When you enlist as a ninja in this village you effectively forfeit the right to chose the other parent of any potential offspring," the daimyo informed them. His posture was relaxed and his face even. Apparently he was unimpressed by either response. "Instead we have the 'Committee of the Breeding Program'," he gestured expansively with the long name, "A council of elders who spend all their time comparing DNA, clan lineages and especially Kekkai Genkai. Most shinobi here anticipate at some point in their careers to be assigned a partner whom they will then be expected to wed and reproduce with. It sounds crude, but the results… have always been outstanding."

Tsunade closed her eyes and looked away. "So much for love…" The Tsuchikage clicked his teeth, making an unidentifiable noise. He had been a ninja for long enough to know that there were many things in the ninja world that seemed cruel and coldhearted, but that for many people these were just the way things had to be. Some hidden villages like Konoha had developed softer approaches, but the Tsuchikage was an old-school shinobi who could understand and respect those who took hard choices that the rest of the world would frown upon.

"People do fall in love," the daimyo smiled, folding his arms, "But if they wish to continue that relationship further then it must be approved by the elders."

"And if it's not?" This was from Gaara. His stance was his usual impassive, outwardly calm self, but there was a tense edge to his hands, folded in front of him, and the way he had set his jaw that suggested he wasn't exactly comfortable with what he was hearing.

"There are options," the daimyo shrugged, "Often people unhappy with their original 'other half' get together with someone else once their kids, their duty to the village you could say, has enlisted into service as a genin. What we call a 'celibate marriage'." He frowned, considering what he'd said. "A slightly misleading term if you ask me. 'Celibate marriage'," he continued, sitting back in his chair, "All we mean is they are not permitted children. Unsuitable DNA, you know? Many though are perfectly happy with their assigned partners. We try for compatible matches and you can usually decline a marriage if you really want. There's such a thing as a difference between an arranged and a forced marriage after all and we like to respect that where we can."

"You just don't respect their right to have children with the one they love," Tsunade laughed mirthlessly, turning away from him to watch the other Kages. There was an interesting mix of reactions. The Tsuchikage seemed the least affected. They might have been talking about the weather for all he seemed to care. In many ways the alliance had softened up some of the gnarled and entrenched ways of the old man, but he had a streak of practicality in his personal politics that outran most of his feelings. He probably also had better knowledge than the rest of them what it was like to be a small vulnerable village in very treacherous surroundings. Over the years he had seen many such places crumble up and be wiped out due to unfavourable political or terrestrial events and he knew how tough some of the surviving ones had been forced to be to keep on surviving.

The Raikage was clearly thinking along similar lines, but his face was pale and he was being unusually quiet. Clearly he didn't like the conversation and there was also a narrow slanted frown around his eyes, which suggested he was wondering what exactly all of this had to do with the mission at hand.

On the other hand the Mizukage was uncomfortable for different reasons. Marriage was something of a secret preoccupation of hers to begin with, so even though she knew much more about Seishin and its customs than any of the other Kages, there was plenty in the matter that was never going to sit well with her. She fiddled with stands of her long hair and shifted all over her seat. Her were fixed on anything, but the conference table or those seated around it. She was obliged not to offend her ally, but clearly she caught at obvious loggerheads with her personal feelings.

Gaara was unreadable to most of them. His demeanour was outwardly very still and quiet, but it took little more than the time Tsunade had spent with the boy to recognise the telltale signs of his building anger. He was too quiet. His face was too stiff. There was an explosion brewing beneath his expression, but the self-control and dignity necessary of someone who had become Kazekage was reminding him to keep a lid on his feelings. This was another village's private affair, but as a person, just like Tsunade, he was disgusted at the idea of treating one's own shinobi like breeding livestock.

"Not with shinobi, no," the daimyo shrugged again, steepling his hands so that the tips out his blades met over his fingers. "They have no rights as far as this village is concerned and they know it. They are sworn to us and to nothing else as soon as they pass their first year of being a genin. It's a sacrifice - but the results are outstanding." Gaara looked away from him, staring at the floor. Tsunade narrowed her eyes. The Mizukage coughed into her hand, her eyes wide.

"Callous," the Raikage suggested quietly. The Tsuchikage glanced up at him.

"Life," the daimyo replied, unmoved, "We all know the rules and serve regardless. The mother of my sons and I were in a celibate marriage. Her original husband died in battle. We were happy though and those two boys were the closest I ever had to children of my own."

"Until one of them turned into a deserter," the Tsuchikage shot back, unnecessarily coldly. The daimyo's face paled at the hit and closed his eyes, turning away. The harsh politics of a village were something both old men could understand, but having a son turn into a rogue ninja was unforgivable.

Oddly enough it was Gaara who took pity on the daimyo this time. "This breeding project of yours," he inquired, straightening slightly as he changed the subject, "Is this the 'Goddess of War' thing?"

"No," the old man turned, staring at him sharply. "Not at all. I was getting to that." He recovered himself and settled back into his chair to explain. His hands curled up on the desk in front of him and his face wrinkled as he summoned the memories to his inner eye. "The Goddess of War project was a particular study developed and undertaken by my younger son, Kuroppoi Masaru," he told them, his voice growing slightly quieter, "I suppose, in a way, you could call it an extension of the breeding scheme. At the time one of our longest shinobi lines had just produced more fruit: the sixteenth generation of selected ninja. We had high hopes for the results. In fact it was an especially promising match. A daughter of one of the most prestigious branches of the Rowna had agreed to marry a young shinobi from the Iriai Clan: a branch house, but great DNA, I'm told. The Rowna almost never agree to participate in the breeding project, so this was a highly exciting occasion. More so when the first birth from the union produced a pair of twins; a boy and a girl…"

"Be frank," Gaara interrupted him, his arms folded as he listened, "You're talking about your Hime, right?"

"I am," the daimyo nodded, "Though I doubt anyone would have guessed that she would go on to become the Hime back then. Hers was something of a contested birth. Especially when our additional DNA testing revealed that she was, while undoubtedly of strong chakra potential, of the type of highly advanced telepath-stroke-empaths so prized among the Rowna…"

"One of their Holy Women," Gaara finished, frowning as he glanced towards the door. Something else occupied his mind for a moment, but he hurriedly suppressed the thought, focusing again on the daimyo.

The old man was chuckling. "Bet your Dad's arse she was," he grunted, rubbing his brow with a smile, "And therefore absolutely untrainable as a ninja with it. We were shocked. The whole thing was a great big blinding mess, you know? Sure, we knew all about their 'Holy Women' – who doesn't?" His voice grew more empathic and his hands gestured agitatedly. "But even among the Rowna the chances of one of them being born are less than one in a hundred." He closed his eyes. The blades on his hands clinked as shook them to indicate some vast amount of chances, births, time… "There hadn't been any among the maternal line for generations. We didn't even know she carried the potential for one. I had the Rowna up in arms, demanding the child be returned to them, and the father claiming that now the baby was officially a 'non-shinobi' she was outside my jurisdiction."

The Mizukage made a move to speak, but she was interrupted before she got out a word. "But she is not a 'non-shinobi'," the Raikage exclaimed, frowning.

"Not now," the daimyo agreed, nodding and growing more still, "It was when Masaru came to me that things changed. He offered to take the baby. He'd been studying Rowna DNA for years, said he was working on a way to bypass the Empathy problem… I was overjoyed. He was taking a headache and turning it into a useable shinobi. Gave him the 'Go Ahead' straight off. Didn't please the Rowna, of course, but this was in the middle of war and if he could turn her into a half-decent kunoichi it'd be a huge help…" He shrugged, turning his face away from the table. Tsunade could see his eyes clouding over in recollection.

"Of course…" the daimyo muttered, "Masaru didn't just want to turn her into an ordinary ninja and leave it at that. He'd go on and on about 'unlocking the hidden potential of the Rowna Clan' and about how he'd turn her into 'the greatest kunoichi ever born'. Would not shut up. In an out of that lab, drawing diagrams and checking reference books… I'll admit I didn't pay much attention." He rubbed his brow again with the back of one of his taloned hands. "Most of it went in one ear and out the other with me – except that the girl's father agreed and handed her over for training, but only on the promise that Masaru paid her upkeep and took over any responsibility to do with her. That annoyed me, but he was thrilled of course. She was his pet project. The girl he wanted to train into the most powerful ninja alive – what he called the Goddess of War."

The Mizukage's eyes went wide, "So what you're saying is that Kuroppoi…"

"Has been the Hime's sensei since she was barely a month old," the daimyo spat bitterly, "And that he's now trying to train and create others with her level of power to use against all of us… Yeah, that'd be it in a nutshell."


	41. Chapter 6i

"_It was supposed make it glaringly obvious that Seishingakure had the most superior shinobi in the world."_

Gaara closed his eyes, listening to Kakashi's words as he stood outside the main tent. 'The most superior shinobi in the world'; he was familiar with reasoning like that. It was a similar goal that had caused his own father to seal the ichibi within him before he had even left his mother's womb. It was his father's desire to obtain the most powerful, frightening shinobi for the sake of the village that had forced Gaara's mother die in childbirth and caused her son to grow up knowing he was hatred by those all around him; that even she had hated him in the end. He hunched his shoulders towards his body, folding his arms. _Had it been the same for her?_ _Did she grow up with the same hatred?_

Sunlight spilled liberally across the camp now and the Kazekage breathed in the morning air, letting a few drops of warm light spill across his cheeks and warm him through his clothes. Small patches of golden light clung to his body, trickling from around the low sleeping tents of the Rowna down over his bare toes. Dusty dry soil churned underneath his sandals as he moved his feet, adjusting his back against the thin deciduous tree, which was serving both as his shelter and as the support for three sleeping tents.

The whole area was like that. Technically the camp was situated a small forest clearing, but some young growth had sprouted up here and there across the place as the forest slowly reclaimed the bare patch. The plants around them were mildly tropical – this particular island of Seishin's being much further south than some of the others – and there was a fresh scent of strong-smelling sweet flowers in the air even as the birds around the area cawed and trilled in the morning. The ground was well trodden and firm, but Gaara did not get the impression that it was the Rowna who were responsible for this. Thick green grasses and vines jutted out from odd corners of their tents, indicating that these structures had been put up recently. Winding trails lead out between the trees, suggesting this was a popular crossing of the local wildlife rather than its human population. Insects buzzed in the vibrant air around him and the Kazekage supposed the day would soon become hotter and more humid as time wore on.

As a civilization the Rowna did not intrude on the jungle so much as blend into it. They just seemed to naturally belong there, with their tents of rough unbleached fibre propped up against trees or hung with vines and leaves for extra security. There was a small stream of fresh water running through the camp and Gaara noticed several women emerging from tents carrying bowls and pots towards the far end, ready to start work on the day's first meal. Temari was with them, a bowl of hot soapy water in her lap and a towel around her shoulders, as she sat chatting with a young woman not much older than herself who was tending a small nearby campfire.

All of them though went to large effort to be quiet, occasionally shooting weary glances towards the main tent and avoided getting too close to it. A few young sleepy-eyed children followed them, but their mothers shushed them and shooed them towards the far ends of the camp to play, so that they would not disturb their guests. Why they would bother when said guests were obviously still awake and in the middle of an argument loud enough for him to hear it where he stood, not half a metre away from the tent flap, was beyond the Kazekage.

"So she was a prodigy," Momoka's voice ground out in exasperation from inside the tent, "So we used her to help guard our place in the world. So what? She betrayed the village she once empowered. She killed her comrades. She's a murderer. Why is that so hard to understand?" There was a pause and Gaara could hear movement from within the fabric structure. He guessed from an irritated grunt that someone had tried to hold or touch the kunoichi to calm her down and she had reacted with distaste for the gesture.

"Look," she tried again, and this time her voice was much more level than before, "Maybe she snapped. Maybe it was all too much for her. Maybe she lost it. Who knows? It doesn't really matter. The one thing that's certain is that she really isn't someone we should be protecting right now. You're not from this village and really this has nothing to do with you, but I just wanted to warn you to stay away from her. If she lost it once, who knows when she might lose it again?"

Then the tent flap opened and the girl strode out into the sunlight, blinking. Her copper-tanned skin stood out against her black clothes and hair and she stretched, shaking her skinny limbs and contorted face as if trying to rid herself of her own anger. She breathed heavily, gasping for air and rubbing her eyes. Pushing her dark hair from her forehead with a net of outstretched fingers, her head turned slightly and she caught sight of Gaara.

She frowned, staring at him as he stood by the tree. He straightened slightly, gazing back at her with a calm, level demeanour, but she said nothing. Her eyes burned into him for a few moments, before she seemed to recollect herself and gave a stunted bow of obligatory deference. It was barely more than a bob, before she spun around, leaving him with an almost dismissive wave of her hand.

The Kazekage watched with apparent impassiveness as she stalked off into the edge of the forest. Her thick black mane of hair fluttered behind her from the sheer force of her stride, but it was the words he had overheard that had created the deepest impression on Gaara's mind. The whole discussion was still ringing in his ears. He wasn't quite sure what he thought about it.

A part of him had been stunned simply hearing the actual name of the woman in the wheelchair. Not because she had never told him, but because he had never wondered about it. He had never really realised he didn't know. In a way she already felt as familiar to him as his own family or as the gourd he usually carried on his back. She seemed to occupy a space in which she just so happened to belong completely; into which she fit so seamlessly that it was impossible to guess where she really started and finished… or how much he really didn't know about her.

_Her name, her profession_… He already knew she was a ninja. He had known that much from the start. In all honesty the word '_ninja_' was synonymous with '_assassin_'. He should not even have been surprised at what she was, but somehow…

There were levels and distinctions of ninja too. She was a high-ranking kunoichi from another, albeit loosely allied, village. She was someone he should expect to have secrets she kept from him and someone he should be keeping secrets from. She was someone he should never have been able to trust entirely. All the same he found himself doing so, almost instinctively. He had even told her as much the first day he met her. Somewhere deep inside him something burned with a tight stinging pain as he realised his openness had never been fully repaid; and that this refusal to allow him close to her had been as clear as day the whole time… He had simply never thought about it before.

Reaching behind himself towards his ruined gourd he carefully sifted out a small handful of sand, throwing it up into the sky above the Rowna camp. Immediately his senses tingled with a flurry of extra information: the feel of the cool morning air, the rush of the warm sun, the damp dew-covered tents of the Rowna camp, the hush of the nearby forests…

It didn't take him long to find her. Her chakra sparked against a few grains of his sensitive sand, as if she knew he was looking for her and was making it easy. '_She probably did know,_' Gaara reminded himself. After all she was a powerful sensory ninja type. Perhaps she even knew what they had been talking about, secluded in that tent. Then again, she seemed to be some distance away, so probably not.

He realised only after a few moments that he had in fact been moving. His feet had carried him out of the clearing and away from the camp before he actually bothered to pay attention. He slipped quietly through the undergrowth, allowing stray grains of his chakra-infused sand to feel his way around the trees, as he shifted the weight of his battered gourd.

It was a sorry mess after the debacle at sea. The top half was almost entirely smashed and lost to the caprice of the ocean. What was left had been compacted down into a small bulbous lump, showing off its heavy black sealing marks, which hung precariously from one of Gaara's shoulders. It soothed him somewhat, but somehow without the familiar weight of his heavy gourd he felt strangely uncomfortable, as if he had an itch somewhere that he simply couldn't scratch.

The trees fell away to either side of him, small rays of green light trickling through the foliage to speckle the leaf-strewn ground at his feet. Letting his sand guide him, he pushed his way through a patch of tightly knitted undergrowth noticing a knoll just ahead of him with the ancient roots of giant tree growing through and around it.

He heard them before he saw them. "No way," Ren's bass voice moaned loudly, ringing through the quiet forest, "I can't just let you go back by yourself. Anything could happen to you."

"You have your orders," his sister sighed. She seemed unusually quiet, even for her. Her whole voice sounded tired.

"So change my orders," Ren snapped, and as Gaara moved around the tree he saw him. The Seishin jounin was half-resting on one of the antediluvian roots, his arms were crossed and his face scowling so fiercely it was almost frightening. He kicked out against the root, spinning around and turning on his sister. "For crying out loud, woman, look at yourself!" he bellowed, shaking his hands in frustration, "You're exhausted! The Kazekage and his party will be fine with just the chuunin escorting them, but what am I supposed to do if something attacks you?"

"Nothing," she replied coldly, "I can take care of myself." Gaara could just about spot the woman behind her brother. She was lying in the nook between some roots and their trunk, almost completely cocooned in her blankets. Her wheelchair was parked in arm's reach, but she was motionless against the tree bark, not even bothering to open her eyes. It seemed to be costing her a visible effort just to argue with her sibling. Her face was expressionless; her exhausted muscles failing to react even to his impassioned behaviour.

He groaned, flopping back down onto the tree root with a sigh. "I'm not doubting your abilities, but you're supposedly retired from active duties because of your health," he reminded her. It sounded more like a coaxing plea than the furious roaring from before. His remained fixed on her still face. "You can hardly stand from just one fight."

She clicked her tongue, shifting as she adjusted her head and shoulders slightly and regarded him. "That's hardly relevant, O'Nii-sama," she retorted, visibly annoyed, "There's nothing living anywhere on Seishin's islands that would necessitate the phoenix and drain me so badly again. I'll be fine after a little rest." He sighed again and her glare intensified. "I know these mountains better than anyone," she hissed, "Company would only slow me down, whereas protocol demands that you stay with our guests and make sure they come to no harm on their way back to Seishingakure. Follow your orders. It's me the Rowna don't like. They've got no problem with you." She wrestled an arm free and pulled herself up against the tree trunk. Her gaze was becoming no friendlier.

Her brother folded his arms again, shaking his head. "You're in a wheelchair most of the time these days. You can't cope without it."

"Follow your god-damn orders, will you?" she barked, slamming her fist down against her leg so hard it made him wince. "I don't have to put up with this!"

"You know," Gaara interrupted, stepping forwards with a hurried cough to announce himself, "Your brother does have a point. We are all highly experienced shinobi. I'm sure we'll be fine with just Momoka-san and Kai-san." Ren turned in visible surprise, apparently he had gotten the better of him, but his sister showed no such reaction. She had known Gaara was there. She had just been busy arguing with her brother. The way her glare became coldly furious as it remained fixed on Ren was enough proof of that. He quailed under the weight of it.

"Give it up," he murmured vaguely at Gaara, waving a hand in obvious defeat, "We're not going to win. Thanks for the support though, Kazekage-sama." He gave the redhead a small smile.

"Or I could go with you instead?" Gaara was almost surprised the question left his mouth. He stood rigid. His back was suddenly much tenser than before. He hadn't been aware he was even thinking it and then the damn phrase was spewing from his lips. The hime was staring at him with her mouth open. There was no anger in her expression, just shock. It was like looking into a mirror of what he felt really. It wasn't even like the suggestion made any real sense in terms of the situation.

Ren gathered himself first. "That won't be necessary, Kazekage-sama" he began, stumbling over the words slightly. His expression was still a little puzzled as he straightened his back and scratched the back of his head. "And besides my sister's right when she says we'd slow her down," he sighed, "Wheelchair or no, she's highly skilled in the art of moving around Seishin. I can barely keep up with her and you, with no special training at all, really couldn't."

Gaara frowned, folding his arms. "It's not as if I've never climbed mountains before."

That made Ren laugh. "Trust me – this is really different," he smirked good-naturedly, waving his defensiveness away with a spare hand. "We'll be back in Seishingakure in about four days," he added, frowning slightly as he grew more serious, "Doubtlessly the remaining Kage will rush you into another meeting as soon as you get back, so I'd advise you to use the time to prepare for that. I'm going to go and check up on the others. Follow my 'orders'." He said the last word with a meaningful nod towards his sister. She glared in renewed irritation, but he merely grinned and turned back to the Kazekage. "Are you staying here?" he inquired, indicating the space between the roots in which his sister was nestled.

"I was planning on it," Gaara replied wearily, as Ren stood up and drew closer towards him.

The jounin smiled. "Good," he whispered, patting Gaara's shoulder conspiratorially, "Keep an eye on her, okay? Make sure she sleeps."

Somewhere behind him the woman in question let out a hiss so loud it would have done a viper proud. "Please ignore him, Kazekage-sama," she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thump and forefinger. "I haven't yet fallen so low as to need a babysitter."

Ren beamed broadly at the assembled round. "I'll leave you to it, shall I?" he declared with much too much enthusiasm, waving over his shoulder as he left. "Give us a shout if you need anything. The camp's not far away." Clearly he enjoyed winding his sibling up the wrong way. Gaara watched him in astonishment.

"I apologise for my brother," Seishin's hime mumbled softly, as the Kazekage finally decided to sit down next to her. "Occasionally he's very overprotective... and an idiot."

Gaara shook his head. "Don't," he admonished her gently with a shake of his head, "It's good to see he cares."

She sighed. "Believe me, I appreciate that," she muttered, "It's just that I'm simultaneously filled with the urge to strangle him for it." Gaara laughed out loud, leaning back against the tree. She gave him a half-smile from the side of her face in response, shaking her head before she closed her eyes again. Her breathing grew heavier and she seemed to relax into the blankets. Tiredness was reclaiming her, now that her irritation was faded.

He watched her breathe for several minutes, regarding the steady movements of her blankets as her chest rose and fell. Her head was titled against the rough tree bark and her fringe gathered over her nose as it got in the way of its natural fall. The blankets had shifted around her chest and he noticed the dark brownish colour of her flak jacket clashing with the trace of her pink uniform showing through the neckline. Birds were chirping around them, becoming more confident in the quiet, and somewhere way off in the distance the undergrowth rustled as some wild animal stalked about its business.

Gaara turned back to his companion, propping himself up on one arm, away from the tree. "Naomi-hime?"

Her eyes snapped open. Blinking, she caught her breath and stared at him in evident confusion, unused to the sound of her name. For several long seconds, she merely looked at him and then, as he felt himself flushing slightly in embarrassment, he felt a noticeable shift in her chakra. Something changed in her expression. Her eyes grew dimmer and she looked away, staring at the ground. "Kazekage-sama," she sighed in a rather late response, folding her arms and glancing up at the sky, "You probably should have taken my advice and asked the daimyo about me. It would have saved you that surprise."

"Undoubtedly," he agreed, still staring at her. One of his hands was resting on his knee and he noticed it had tightened on the fabric of his combat gear. "But then I suppose I thought you'd tell me yourself eventually."

She almost laughed. "O'Kazekage-sama, that is probably the one thing you should never assume about me." She ran a hand through her hair, relaxing her posture. "I'm a Seishin ninja. I do exactly what I'm ordered to and no more." Her eyes were brighter again as she smiled at him and that if anything made him frown more.

"So you were ordered to go out of your way to help me sleep?" he suggested bitterly, glaring at her. One of his hands smacked into the side of his ninja sandal as he turned. He winced, glancing down at his crossed legs and placed his hand more safely on his thigh.

His companion was staring at the giant tree root next to her. "No," she whispered at last, lingering on the word, slightly unsure of herself, "Although I'd probably like to add that I wasn't ordered not to either." He snorted, shaking his head at her, and she smiled weakly acknowledging that what she had just said was ridiculous.

"I feel strange around you and Naruto," she confessed, pulling herself around so she could look him full in the face. The blankets fell from her shoulders and she sat, hugging her knees, her long grey-brown hair spilling down around her legs. Gaara watched her evenly. "There's something about the two of you that…" she paused, tilting her head as she considered her next words, "This is going to sound weird, but I was going to say 'keeps me warm'. I suppose that's an empath thing. You both have kind personalities. You feel warm and I enjoy your company, but please don't make it any more than that."

Gaara shook his head. "You're not as cold as you like to pretend to be."

Her head snapped up. For once Gaara could see her eyes clearly as she squinted at him. Her over-long fringe tumbled away to one side and she peered at him through half-closed lids, surprise evident on her face. They were kind eyes; he realised. Despite their lines and the war they had seen, they were softer even than Temari's in their expression. "I don't pretend to be anything," she admonished, shaking her head, "It's just that I _am_ a Seishin ninja."

He sighed, turning his face forward and away from her again. "We're all ninja, hime."

She made a snorting noise in disgust. "Sure, we are," she chuckled dryly, "Only you're from some big village in some big country and don't have half the pressure we do. You don't face dwindling numbers of shinobi and rusting weapon supplies you can't afford to replace. You don't spend half your time wondering if your village is still going to be there tomorrow or if the funds are simply going to dry up."

Gaara turned back, frowning. His expression hardening by the second, as he drummed on the side of his sandal's in irritation. "You're state-sanctioned," he reminded her, "With more total support than any other hidden village could dream of. You _are_ the state. Nobody's going to shut your village down any time soon."

"Which is the only reason we still exist, when other villages our size have gone extinct years ago," Naomi shot back, pushing away her blankets as she faced him fully, her lips drawn and her fringe falling back into place. "We may have our country's full support, but Seishin is tiny, ravished by war and divided across its clans and fractions. You can't tax what people don't have and as 'the state' we have responsibilities that other hidden villages don't: like building schools and hospitals instead of paying shinobi." She sighed, looking away again. "Half my supposed warriors are out farming or doing part-time, or," her frown deepened and the line around her lips tightened still further, "Or even full-time jobs. Even the ancient clans are encouraging their children to be _anything_ other than ninja. There's more money in just about anything else. We'll only give some money towards a C-Rank mission if you're away from home for more than a day and we don't even pay for D-Rank at all anymore."

"You had plenty of genin when we arrived," Gaara replied coolly, leaning back against the tree.

She shook her head. "Most of those will be gone within a year," she sighed, "They've learned their ninja arts in after-school clubs and kids activity groups and they'll soon disappear when reality sets in. They always do." She stretched her back. Turning back to him, she smiled and shook her head. "I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining," she assured him, settling back against the tree trunk herself and pulling her knees up against her chest, "Every hidden village has its problems and we do better than most, but you of all people should know what kind of pressure that puts on those of us who are left. We real, old-school, hard-core shinobi have to be the best and nothing short of it, or our village – our country – may not be there tomorrow."

Gaara shivered slightly. He turned away, staring at his legs. "I'm familiar with that attitude," he whispered, closing his eyes.

She sighed again. "You would be," she agreed after a few moments, pulling her blankets back up around herself, "That's why I said it. Life has been tough even in the big villages, but when you don't have those resources… I don't have the time to fritter around and play 'best friend' games with sixteen-year-olds, even you Kazekage-sama. Some of us have a country to protect."

"As do we all," he retorted, rubbing the back of his neck as he stretched it.

She straightened up, startled. "Of course, forgive me."

"Not at all," he shook his head, "Your point is well made."

"As was yours," she conceded in a half-whisper, staring down at her hands.

Gaara stared at her. "Which one?" he laughed, "I've hardly said anything."

"Not today so much," she muttered, closing her eyes and leaning back into the tree. Her voice had a distant, far-off quality and she sighed deeply. A bird chirped in the air above. Gaara watched her, half-fascinated by the way her face relaxed in the murky shadows at the base of the tree. Her freckles disappeared in the gloom and the lines faded into her skin, leaving a woman much younger than her outward appearance. She opened her eyes slightly, catching him as he observed her.

"Before I forget, Naomi-hime," he began, tilting his head slightly, "I wanted to thank you for helping me sleep before. Your jutsu was unusually effective."

"Don't mention it," she chuckled, smiling slightly with her eyes half-closed, "Besides, you look as if you could use it again."

He cocked his head, stretching out his legs and leaning sideways against the tree. The small lump that was all that remained of his gourd juddered as it hit the bark, and he reached up to loosen the straps, letting it slide from his shoulders. "You look as if you could use it yourself," he smirked, his eyes still on her face.

"Hah," she chuckled, blinking as she looked across at him, "To be honest, I sleep about as much as you do."

His raised his head a little, frowning. "Why's that?"

She shrugged, closing her eyes and tightening the blankets around herself. "Many reasons."

He realised she was copping out of a real answer, but he also realised that if he was pushing her further than she wanted to go, so he left it, closing his eyes and settling himself against the tree. "Good night."

She frowned slightly, glancing briefly across at the pools of golden light growing and intensifying on the forest floor around them. "Good morning," she corrected him wearily.

The sun was quite high in the sky by the time Gaara returned to the camp or what was left of it. The Rowna had started packing up and it was amazing how quickly their multitude of tents, blankets and equipment turned into nothing more than a series of bulky backpacks, strapped to the clan members.

Children were milling around the clearing, anxious to get moving, and Gaara spotted Naruto and Ren nearer the edge, helping roll up what had once been a tent into a sausage-shape no bigger than a human arm. The blonde Konoha ninja left off the moment he saw him, hurtling across the clearing towards his friend. "Where's Naomi-nee-san?" Naruto demanded, panting as he lent forward onto his thighs to catch his breath, "I want to talk to her."

"I'm sorry," Gaara replied, his eyes wide and taken aback. "She just left."


	42. Chapter 6j

The Mizukage sat back in her chair, frowning as she regarded the daimyo. Idly she ran her thumb and forefinger down one of the long angular strands of hair that flipped up and outwards from the mass of her auburn tresses, spinning it around her willowy fingers when she reached the end. "I'm sorry," she began, shaking her head very gently and wrinkling her long elegant nose. "But I'm not sure I understand where you're coming from with this." She folded her cobalt-sleeved arms in front of the very low cut neckline of her matching sleeveless dress and fishnet undershirt. "Seishin's hime was famous around here," the defined lady-like eyes narrowed as she spoke, "But I fail to recognise any of her signature moves in the descriptions of these children. In fact I'd go as far as to suggest they have highly diverse fighting styles, based on completely different techniques. What makes you think that Kuroppoi is trying to recreate anything about her?"

"What's more," the Tsuchikage put in, the bulky red of his oversized collar bobbing up and down as he planted both hands on the table, hoisting himself upwards so he could glare into the round, "I see very little evidence to suggest this Kuroppoi Masaru is involved at all. He may be a missing ninja with an apparent obsession with these Rowna people, but assuming he is involved based on such flimsy evidence… This is speculation at best." His thin pointed goatee twitched, revealing the scowl underneath.

The daimyo shut his eyes momentarily. The smell of incense was slowly fading and the room was, if anything, becoming colder as the hours passed. A deep sigh escaped him and he chewed on his lip, unwanted age settling again on his face. "I can't say you're not right," he agreed, flaccidly nodding his head and glancing over the paperwork before him, "Let's review some more evidence then, shall we? I'll send for…"

A loud knock at the door cut straight through his speech. It echoed around the small room, catching on the odd-shaped walls and bouncing from the bamboo panels. The assembled Kages turned in surprise towards the interruption and the Tsuchikage nearly fell from the table. Tsunade gratefully laid down the paperwork she had been looking over, exchanging a curious glance with Gaara and the Mizukage.

The daimyo turned, regarding the offending doorway for a few seconds, before snorting loudly in apparent bemusement. "Come on in then," he bellowed, waving a hand reflexively. A small smirk played across the daimyo's features. "I presume that'll be you, doing things without giving me the chance to ask as usual."

"Isn't that my job, tono-sama_**(1)**_?" came the automatic response as the thickened bamboo slid open a fraction. A washed-out gray-brown head bobbed slightly in the crack, as it bowed its greeting and entered. Gaara felt his eyes widening in surprise and the Mizukage rose up out of her chair in alarm. Her lithe formed towered over that of the Tsuchikage beside her, despite the fact that they were technically in the same position. He glanced down at the long gold-trimmed slits of his green jin-haori and then glared up at her in irritation.

Their visitor bowed gracefully again, closing the door behind her without turning around. Her knees sank to the floor and so did her eyes. Only the top of the bright pink fabric of her forehead protector was visible over her gray-brown fringe. Her long white haori fluttered around her as it settled on the floor and the fuchsia of her petal-shaped battledress split over its frilly white pleats, making her look like a strange sort of bell-shaped flower growing from the rush mats.

"If my lord tono-sama and the honourable assembled Kage-samas would pardon the interruption," she began, addressing the floor although her shoulders were angled towards the daimyo's chair, "I brought the files you wanted." The Tsuchikage made a mild appreciate noise in the back of his throat and settled back down, and the Mizukage nodded, tilting her head slightly to the side. Tsunade examined her with a quizzical eye, glancing across at Gaara and then back again.

Without lifting her eyes, the woman rose to her feet and moved towards the table. She inclined her torso slightly again, producing a manila–coloured folder and flipping it open with one hand. "An updated review of the evidence retrieved by the Kazekage and his scouting party… and a summary of what we know of Kuroppoi Masaru. Copies are included for your revered self and each of our honoured guests." She plucked a few sheets of paper from the folder and placed them before the daimyo. Repeating the process before every Kage, she ghosted quietly around the table in a clockwise manner, so that she would finish with Gaara and Tsunade.

The Raikage laughed, snatching up his copy from her hand before she could even set it down. "Got the stuff to you before you even asked for it," he grinned, waving the paper slightly as he examined it, "I wish my secretary was that good. I mean she's amazing, but…"

The daimyo growled. "I'd like to remind you that you are talking about _Seishin's_ _hime_," he snapped, his eyes flashing as he crossed his arms in indignation, "My second-in-command and operative leader of Seishingakure. Her position is in many ways equivalent to yours as a village leader. She is certainly _no_ secretary." He snorted angrily.

Momentarily taken aback, the Raikage paused. His mole quivered over his muscular eyebrows as he raised them. "Well, I meant no offence…" He flashed a weak half-smile and shrugged, waving the papers disarmingly. His white cloak shook over his dark skin with the gesture.

"None taken," Naomi put in, glancing up with a more cheerful expression as she deposited Gaara's handout in front of him. The Kazekage frowned at her, almost turning around in his chair as she moved behind him. "Honestly these days half my duties seem to involve paperwork," she went on, picking out Tsunade's copy from her folder as she talked, "Filing, overseeing reports, organising hospitality for our guests and ensuring the tono-sama gets his morning coffee – I certainly feel like a secretary if nothing else." The Raikage smirked, turning back to his file, but Naomi abruptly flinched. She took a step backwards, hunching her shoulders slightly, as she glanced wide-eyed at the daimyo. He was glaring at her as if she had suddenly morphed into something more commonly associated with the bottom of a compost heap. She dropped her gaze and her smile, obediently returning to the contents of in her file. The dark rings around Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly. He was still watching her intensely.

Tsunade chortled obliviously, reaching for her own papers as they were held out to her. "Sounds like my job too," she grinned, scanning the text as she turned back towards the table, "Guess some things are the same wherever you go."

The Mizukage suddenly burst into giggles, biting down on her fist to try and hide the inappropriate display as she glanced up from her own skim-reading. "Doesn't the daimyo of Ho find his coffee rather cold by the time you deliver it from Konoha?" she croaked playfully, plummeting back down into her chair and attempting to cover her expression with her hands. Tsunade bit back another laugh, almost dropping the papers. She glanced up at her appreciatively and grinned, shaking her head.

There was a thump as the Tsuchikage noisily adjusted his papers against the desk. "I believe," he intoned, fixing the pair of them with an irritated scowl, "We were discussing the evidence concerning Kuroppoi Masaru?"

"We were," Tsunade agreed, sobering up at once, "Perhaps the Hime can tell us more about him? She was his pupil, I believe." The Mizukage snapped back to attention and flung her hair back into place behind her shoulders with a flick of both hands.

Stretching in his chair as he returned his attention to his guests, the daimyo gestured his approval too. "Good idea," he agreed, scratching the side of his head with the scar, "Doubtlessly she's heard from her brother as well. Saves me the trouble of going over what he's been yapping in my ear about."

Gaara frowned. His gaze had never left Naomi. She seemed paler than he remembered, and he could feel her chakra pulsing slightly as she stood just slightly behind Tsunade and the daimyo. She looked almost rigid. "Are you sure you're okay?" he whispered, leaning sideways out of his chair. His voice was low to aid discretion, but it was difficult not to be noticed in that position. "You're not in a wheelchair today?" Tsunade turned in surprise, regarding the young woman again and even the Tsuchikage glanced suspiciously across at them. His beady little eyes narrowing as he tried to discern what was going on. Gaara's pale bluish ones met Naomi's for a second beneath their habitual barrier of a fringe. She looked away, ignoring him.

Clearly overhearing, the daimyo paused, cocking his head to examine her. "That's a point right there," he smacked his lips in thought, banging his hand on the table, "You're wheelless for a change, milady. Got better, have you?" He raised an eyebrow at her. His attitude poised as if demanding an explanation.

Naomi blushed, glancing at the floor. Even the Mizukage was staring now. When the daimyo's attitude darkened further, Seishin's hime cleared her throat slightly, murmuring, "Actually, Tono-sama, if you remember you prohibited me from using the chair in the audience chamber." She paused, fidgeting with a strand of hair as he still looked blank. "According to you, there are some places at least the Hime of Seishin should be able to maintain her posture."

"Humph. Figures," he grunted, turning away, "Damn invalid shinobi. People'll think we're running a hospital." He folded his arms, glancing at the paperwork in front of him and then looking away in disgust.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Are you in pain?" she inquired, straightening up as her medical background took over. "Do you need to sit down?"

The hime contracted her brows, grimacing as she stared at the woman in front of her. Something stiffened in her expression and she took a step backwards, shaking her head and the paper folder with a deliberately disarming smile. "Thank you for your concern, Kazekage-sama, Hokage-sama, but I'll be fine," she assured them. Her tone was empathic and just slightly stilted, "You really needn't worry so much. Contrary from what might be assumed from my brother's attitude, I am not about to fall down dead at any moment, so please don't worry." She caught the daimyo's eye as he turned his gaze on her and hurriedly flicked through her folder, scowling as she glanced over the contents. Whatever she might have said, Gaara was convinced he saw her wobble slightly as she adjusted her feet.

"As for Kuroppoi Masaru and this evidence," she sighed, running her finger down the page, "You note that there are distinctive scaring on the bones photographed by the Kazekage's sister, Temari-san. Similar wounds found on the child they recovered. I'm no medical ninja myself, but I instructed one of our nurses to probe under the half-healed skin and tissue." Shutting the file, her eyes lifted from the page as she went on and her voice slowed a little, becoming slightly less formal. "She found small rectangular devices, implanted near the bone in the neck, wrists and ankles of the recovered child. You can see the pictures on page two of the hand-outs I provided. Again, I'm no medical expert, but they do look like the plug-in points of a pain collar."

The Mizukage groaned, pushing away from the table and running a hand over her mouth. "Oh, please no…"

"Unfortunately," Naomi agreed, nodding slightly and holding the half-closed folder to her chest, her thumb still within the papers keeping her place.

Gaara blinked, glancing from one to the other, "What's a pain collar?" Tsunade scowled and the Tsuchikage shook his head. The Raikage glanced from one to the other, apparently also lost in the conversation.

"Something I was hoping never to come across again in my lifetime," the Mizukage mumbled, sighing deeply as she sat back and closed her eyes, "We've banned their use in Mizu, you know?"

The daimyo grunted irritably at this. His chains clanked as he puffed himself up. "It's not as if we encourage their use here in Seishin either," he put in, glaring at her.

The Raikage coughed meaningfully, but Naomi had already straightened up. "They're a form of training or restraining device based on the principle of physical punishment," she explained, glancing from him to Gaara. She pushed back her hair and tapped the side of her neck lightly, angling it so they could see, "Reinforced plastic collars, designed to be unbreakable for most ninja, are placed around the neck, arms and feet and connected to internal plug-in points which are wired directly into the wearer's nervous system." Gaara winced, but Naomi paid no heed as she continued, addressing the Raikage, "If the wearer then produces undesirable behaviour or results, he will punished by a remote signal which sends a high-voltage electric shock straight through said system. The effect is, needless to say, very painful."

"And has been known to leave its victims paralyzed or, in some cases, even dead," the Mizukage interrupted with another sigh. She picked awkwardly at the corner of one of her long sleeves, "They went through a small phase of usage during the fourth Mizukage's reign, but went out again almost before he did. It's a really horrifying device. I never thought I would be unlucky enough to hear of them again."

Tsunade frowned, narrowing her eyes as she adjusted the papers in her hands. "Kuroppoi used these things, did he?" she inquired, turning to address Naomi.

The younger woman drew back slightly. "Well…" she glanced hesitantly at the daimyo as if for permission. His expression didn't change much as she continued, "I wore a collar for about eight years."

Tsunade dropped her papers. Her jaw fell open as her pig-tailed lifted in surprise. "What?" she breathed, blinking in confusion. Beside her, Gaara turned and stared at the hime again. The Mizukage said nothing, merely frowning as she folded her hands. From opposing end of the table, the Raikage glared at the daimyo. He merely rolled his eyes dismissively, shaking his head.

"It was considered necessary to aid in my training," Naomi went on, shrugging. Her skirts bounced slightly as she shifted her feet and adjusted the folder in her arms. "At the time Seishin was still at war and unusual measures were called for."

The Tsuchikage grunted, his moustache twitching. "So we know Kuroppoi uses a pain collar. What else?" He tapped his hand on the table, glancing across the round.

To his surprise, Naomi shook her head, moving forward a half-step or so to get his attention. "Well, that's just it. Kuroppoi never used the collar on me."

The Raikage glared at her. "So he ordered one put on you, but never used it?" he demanded, "What kind of…" His monstrous facial muscles knit in confusion, as the Tsuchikage froze his eyes narrowing. Tsunade frowned, glancing speculatively sideways at the daimyo, but the man was motionless. His head rested on the folded fingers and blades of his hands as he listened in silence.

Naomi shook her head again, lowering the folder into the crook of her arms as she did so. "He didn't order it. It was another party who had the collar attached." Her hair fell loosely over her white haori-clad shoulders as she moved, held back only by the bright pink of her headband.

The Tsuchikage sighed, slumping back into his chair. His reddish round nose twitched as he moaned under his breath. "Then what relevance does this…?"

"He didn't use it at that time, but he didn't object to it either," Naomi interrupted smoothly. Her floaty skirt quivered slightly as she stepped up to the table. "He carried a remote to activate the collar around with him, but to use his words he hadn't 'yet found a problem a good beating couldn't fix'." She adjusted the folder in her arms again, glancing down at it.

"Then…" the Raikage suggested coldly, motioning with his hand. The Tsuchikage folded his arms. He had the corner of his mouth pulled up into a half-sneer as he stared fixedly at his feet, stuck out in front of him.

"It's the second piece of evidence which is more compelling," Naomi continued, pulling a diagram out of the file and leaning awkwardly between Gaara and Tsunade to place it in the middle of the table. The Kazekage moved his chair slightly to allow her room. His kage haroi shifted as he did so revealing the gray-blue robes beneath. It made a striking contrast with his deep red hair. "If you look in your handout again, you'll see diagrams of distinctive weapons he carries," she tapped the piece of paper slightly before rising again. Her fringe flipped from her forehead with the motion, showing her unusually ornate design on the metal plate. "This includes a bladed cane with what you'll note is an idiosyncratic handle in the shape of a lion bearing its fangs. Those fangs are sharp and leave peculiar-shaped wounds on the skin on impact. As I just indicated, Kuroppoi's favourite method of discipline is 'a good beating'." Tsunade frowned. Fidgeting with the dark lapels of her green haori, she glanced down at the diagram on the table, before turning almost completely around in her chair. Strands of loose blonde hair fell over her youthful-looking face, but her eyes were narrowed and her attention fixed on Naomi. The daimyo closed his eyes.

"For this he prefers to use the handle end of his weapon," Naomi continued, slowing slightly. Her head tilted slightly and she smiled weakly, addressing the Kages as they sat gathered around the chestnut-coloured table, "I had most of my scarring removed by medical jutsu when I turned sixteen, but I used to be covered with the remains of wounds from that cane. What alerted my brother is that the child retrieved by the Kazekage has almost identical marks on his upper arms and shoulders." Her fingers hovered over the short sleeves of her haori for a second, indicating the length of the upper arm with a sweeping motion.

"Indicating that Kuroppoi struck him at some point," the Mizukage mumbled grimly, biting her lip. She gave a brief nod, straightening the top of her deep blue outfit. "Proving his involvement, I see."

"Do you think he'll be working alone?" the Raikage demanded, glancing across at the young woman. His jaw worked as he contemplated the information and he drummed the fingers of his one good hand on the table.

Naomi raised her eyebrows. "For an operation of the scale I saw?" She glanced down at Gaara as if to confirm and he shook his head. "I very much doubt it," the woman reiterated, shaking her own, "Even the number that followed the Kazekage to Seishin would be difficult for one person to train by himself."

The Tsuchikage sat up. He gripped the table agitatedly, kicking his feet as he leaned forward. "Then perhaps another party authorised the use of the collar?"

Naomi shook her head again. She glanced awkwardly at the daimyo's impassive face, before returning her attention to the Tsuchikage and his fellows. Her face seemed quite pale. "I'm not so sure about that," she murmured, feeling the man's attention still upon her.

"Explain," the old man snapped. His beady eyes had narrowed once more and his hands curled in agitation.

Naomi nodded; conscious of all five sets of the Kage's eyes upon her. "Kuroppoi, when I knew him, was given to impatience and would jump to extreme measures very quickly if he couldn't get the results he wanted," she explained. Her tone had become bisque and business-like again and her posture had stiffened into practiced smartness. "I think the collar is evidence that these children aren't performing up to the standard he expects."

The Mizukage clicked her tongue, glancing upwards in thought. "Which explains why there's a disparity between the level of power you're known to have been capable of – and that displayed by the children." Her slender fingers motioned as she spoke, as if partitioning things across an invisible divide in the air in front of her.

"Exactly," Naomi agreed, nodding again and loosening her grip on the folder, "I don't think he's trying to recreate my abilities precisely, but there can be no question that he would want something of comparable effectiveness on the battlefield."

The daimyo let out a breath he must have been holding for a while. "While he was here," he put in, flexing his fingers without looking up from the table, "Masaru did consider the Hime's training to be his masterpiece. He was forever jabbering on about what she had achieved recently, missions she'd done, how ruthlessly she'd completed them… That sort of thing… Figures he'd want to recreate that. Thought he was the world's best ninja trainer, he did… He'd be furious if something pointed out otherwise." He frowned. His eyes were half-closed as if contemplating something.

"What else can you tell us about Kuroppoi?" Tsunade inquired, drumming her manicured fingers on the table. "What made him leave his village for example?" She glanced across at Naomi.

The young woman looked slightly alarmed. "That…" she stuttered, taking a step back and shaking her head, "We don't know exactly…"

Unsatisfied the Mizukage frowned, eyeing the daimyo and his hime with folded arms. "Surely you must be able to tell us something regarding the events surrounding his defection?"

The daimyo dropped his hands onto the table. The thin blades projected outwards like needles as he breathed deeply. "The events…" He glanced at Naomi for help, shaking his head.

"Sensei had a driven personality," the young kunoichi declared, not missing a beat at the hidden request. She flipped the folder open again, scanned the pages as she gave her report with hardly a pause for breath. "For as long as I knew him," she went on, pulling a strand of hair away from her face, "He was always obsessed with gaining strength – more powerful weapons, better jutsu… Nothing was ever perfect, until it could throw everything else like out of the water. When I was small, this always seemed to be focused on the village. He wanted our village to be the strongest, the most powerful, in our region so we could destroy our enemies and live in peace… at least that was how it started. Gradually his ideology seemed to change… Things became darker. He became more secretive and even started hiding things from me, something he would not ordinarily have bothered with. I tried to talk to him, but he did not exactly encourage me to question my superiors… Then came the incident… and he left…" She slowed to a halt, frowning. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the folder.

Gaara raised his head. The red kanji marking on his forehead contracted as he wrinkled his brow. "The incident?"

Naomi shifted uncomfortably. "When he put me forward for the jounin trials for the first time…" she began, rubbing the back of her neck with a free hand.

Gaara sat up sharply. "This would be what Momoka was talking about?" he inquired, clicking his fingers as he recalled the information, "When she called you…"

"Kazekage-sama!" Naomi burst out, her eyes suddenly wide in alarm. All four of the other Kage were staring at her, their torsos suddenly erect and their frowning faces turned towards her. The woman was shaking. She placed a hand over her mouth and kept her sight locked on the floor. Gaara blushed and turned away.

"I beg your pardon?" the daimyo demanded, becoming alert as he digested what he had heard. His back stiffened as he straightened up. His eyes narrowed as the regarded the youngest two occupants of the room. "Is there something I should know about?"

Naomi closed her eyes entirely. "Tono-sama…" she whispered. The shaking stopped and she became very still. A lone figure in a pink frilly dress and long white haori, colourless gray-brown hair down over her shoulders, an ornate pink headband and ribboned ballerina shoes, she stood as motionless as a statue, clutching the folder to her chest.

A low growl cut through the air. The daimyo got to his feet slowly. His first were clenched. "Hime." It was a warning and she knew it. The Tsuchikage sat up straight, glancing from one to the other with just a hint of disapproval.

Raising her head, she snapped back to attention. "Forgive me, Tono-sama," she uttered, her tone increasing in volume and formality as she gathered herself together, "I would have reported this to you, but you asked not to be bothered with things other than those of immediate concern to the current crisis." She paused, biting her lip slightly as she drew breath. Her chin remained at a neat right angle to her neck and her eyes rested somewhere over the daimyo's right shoulder. "It would appear I made a stupid error in the last mission. A judgment error in my decision of which ninja to place where. It seems I allowed things to escalate to a point were… things got out of hand…" Her voice waivered. She closed her eyes and grew silent.

The daimyo frowned. His chains clinked slightly as he stepped around the table so he was facing her. His arms were folded over his otherwise bare chest. "What do you mean?" Behind him all five of the Kages stirred, frowning at each other. Gaara rose out of his chair too, his arms hesitant at his sides, as he watched the daimyo.

Naomi remained ridged and motionless. "One of our chuunin became aggravated during the stay at a Rowna camp," she disclosed, her voice remaining even, "Some things said led her to discuss the incident and…"

"Can't you even control your own shinobi, hime?" the daimyo bellowed, interrupting her, "Do none of them have any discipline anymore? What do you think this is? The local tavern? Do people come here to drink and spout damn stupid rumours and garbage about their superiors?" He swung a first forward, making the long blades vibrate inches from the hime's face. She barely blinked. Tsunade rose to her feet. Her hands flew upwards in apparent alarm, but then hovered fruitlessly in mid-air, quivering. Behind her the Mizukage exchanged worried looks with the Raikage.

"Forgive me, tono-sama," the hime whispered. Her entire body remained motionless as her eyes met the daimyo's.

He dropped his arm, glaring at her. "Keh," he spat, waving his arm dismissively, "You should be sorry, you stupid brat. I'll be speaking to you – and your brother – about this later. Who was it?" His index finger flexed outward as he brought an arm up with his inquiry, the rest of his body half-turned back towards the table.

Naomi swallowed, shaking her head. "Tono-sama, the error was mine," she insisted, "If anyone should be punished…" The foremost of his blades was pointed towards her heart.

His eyes narrowed, snapping back around. "Who was it?" he growled suspiciously, titling his head menacingly as he eyed her.

Naomi closed her eyes. Her back was pressed against the wall behind her and her arms clutching the folder tightly to her chest. "Ohayashi Momoka," she murmured. Gaara moved slightly, inching forwards a little.

The daimyo straightened his head, frowning. "Ohayashi?" he repeated, mulling over the word and adjusting himself on his feet, "As in the daughter of Ohayashi Kazuo?"

Naomi nodded. "That's correct, tono-sama."

He chewed on his lip. His blades bounced as he flexed his fingers. "She had a brother, didn't she?" he inquired, "Involved in the incident?"

"That's correct, tono-sama," she nodded again.

He nearly laughed, but was highly sardonic. Turning away, the daimyo shot Naomi a leer that seemed to encompass a sudden dark enlightenment. "Then I can guess what she might have said," he grunted, "Nevertheless I'm hardly going to overlook a major breech in discipline. Consider her suspended from anything above a D-Rank mission for the next two months. Her jounin-in-charge can expect a reprimand too." He sat down, exchanging glances with a grumbling Tsuchikage.

"Tono-sama!" Naomi cried, breaking away from the wall in alarm, "Please, if you're going to punish anyone it should be me. I deployed…" Her arms dropped her sides. Papers scattered from the folder as it slipped from her fingers, but she ignored it and moved forward, beseeching the man at the table with a silent prayer written all over her body.

The daimyo silenced her with a glare. "And she opened her mouth to disrespect a senior office," he replied coldly, barely turning to look at her, "In public. In front of our important foreign guests. Did you force her to do that? She knew the rules when she became a shinobi – and if you can't discipline her. I will." The Tsuchikage shuffled some papers impatiently and the Raikage shifted awkwardly in his seat.

Naomi closed her eyes. Coming to a halt, she stood still, shaking her head. "Tono-sama, please," she whispered, "D-Rank means working without pay. She isn't funded by her family. Two months is extremely harsh."

The daimyo grunted, turning away from her again. "Last time I checked we still supply all our shinobi with food, uniforms, weapons and lodging. She'll survive."

"Tono-sama, please," she implored, still shaking her head as her whole expression begged him for mercy, "She…"

"One more word and there'll be a reprimand for you too, young lady," the daimyo snapped, slamming his fist down on the table, "This isn't the time or place to discuss this, so hold your trap. I'll speak to you later." Naomi dropped to her knees, bowing in defeat.

There was silence in the audience chamber. An uncomfortable unease penetrated the whole room, flavoured by the sheer disgust of both the Tsuchikage and the Raikage. It was clear they thought such an embarrassing display of internal upheaval unfit for the solemn occasion of a Five Kages' conference. The demeanour of the Mizukage and Tsunade suggested that they didn't exactly disagree with them either. Only Gaara looked at Naomi as he sat back down, the Hokage settling herself in her seat beside him. His expression was almost an apology.

"Momoka-san," he began awkwardly, turning towards the daimyo, "Called your hime a murderer. Accused her of killing Momoka's brother and various other contenders for the jounin trials. What did she mean by that?" Tsunade glanced at him in surprise, but he merely propped his head up on his folded hands, leaning in with his elbows planted on the tabletop. Somewhere behind them, Naomi was still kneeling, her eyes fixed on the floor.

The daimyo acknowledged the Kazekage with a casual nod of the head. "Exactly what she said," he replied, shrugging, "Masaru gave his only pupil a coded scroll just before she competed in that trial. That scroll ordered the execution of all other contestants in the exam." He paused, scratching his chin. "To all intents and purposes, the instruction appeared to have come from me," he sighed, waving a hand limply from his to side. His blade-like protrusions glinted as he moved them in the artificial light. "It was a highly skilled forgery. I saw the thing myself during the investigation. It was the first time I'd laid eyes on it, but the damned thing had everything from my stamp to my signature. The hime was an eight year old girl at the time. She had no way of being able to tell the difference." He smacked his lips slightly, glancing across at the princess in question. She stood up as his gave fell on her. Still bent in a half- bow, she retreated backwards towards the wall.

Tsunade's brow contracted in confusion. "I'm sorry," she interrupted, staring at the older man, "Are you suggesting that as an eight year old your hime was able to take out an entire group of jounin-contenders? That seems highly incredulous." The Tsuchikage nodded vigorously in agreement.

The daimyo merely shrugged again. "Not really," he explained, smiling slightly as he faced them, "Our hime is – as I mentioned – a Rowna style telepath trained in combat. Are you aware of the advantage that gives her? She can feel an opponent's moves before he makes them. Can read any strategy before its execution. Knows even his deepest thoughts. If he attacks, she has already moved to dodge it. If he blocks, she has already countered him and brought a blade to his undefended side. Without him being able to do anything about it, she finds all his weaknesses and blindspots as soon as she looks at him. There's no way to stop that. No defence. Anyone facing her in combat has already lost." He folded his arms over his chains, eyeing the assembled leaders for a reaction.

"Highly impressive…" the Raikage mumbled, propping himself against the table. The Tsuchikage shot him a calculating sideways glance. Gaara's eyes were once again located behind them, where Naomi was carefully picking up the papers she had dropped earlier. Her behaviour displayed no interest in the conversation, even if it was about her.

Seishin's daimyo grunted dismissively. "Those aren't her only skills," he smirked, slapping his hands back down against the table and leaning in, "Being able to read others psyche also allows her learn what they know and to feel what they feel. She can extract their knowledge as it skims their mind and, even learn their jutsu, simply from the way it feels when they perform it. It barely takes more than a demonstration or two for her to master any new skill. About the only way to do that faster is with the Sharingan." He paused, glancing briefly towards the spot where Naomi had risen and started gathering up the fallen papers, arranging them inside her folder. "Masaru exploited that talent. He fed skills into her like a little computer and used the resulting knowledge to get her ready for combat much younger than your average shinobi could ever dream of." He sat back, his arms folded again as he gave the young woman another brief inspection. "She could use a kunai correctly at the age of two and completed her first solo S-Rank shortly after she became a genin at the age of four. As soon as she could move, she could be taught and as soon as she was taught she could execute. It really was beautifully simple."

Tsunade exhaled loudly, clearly impressed. She turned her head slightly to peer at Naomi as the young woman carefully rearranged the papers in her folder. "I am beginning to see why Kuroppoi referred to you as the Goddess of War," the Hokage exclaimed, tapping her manicured fingers on the back of her chair, "That's a pretty impressive talent there." Seishin's hime glanced up briefly from her work, shrugging.

"Hah," the Tsuchikage scoffed, standing up on his chair – something that given his diminutive stature barely made him more noticeable. "If she's so good then how come her sensei managed to fool her? Seems to me, she should have known he was betraying the village before he did it. She could have stopped it." The Raikage inclined his head in agreement, exchanging a brief glance with the Mizukage as he did so.

"You're not alone with that thought," the daimyo conceded, nodding. He scratched the stubbly half of his head. The blades attached to the appendage fanned out like a strange, but deadly headdress. "At first even I believed the same thing. A lot of people round here still do, young Ohayashi-chan included I expect." His gaze flitted around the table, fixing each of the five kage in turn. "The hime was a child. Masaru had practically raised her. He was closer to her than her own parents and she was a trained assassin under his command. Killing people was second nature to her. It would hardly be surprising if she had simply followed his orders. At one point nearly everyone seemed to be convinced of her guilt. Even me." He turned, staring at the spot by the wall where Naomi stood with her reassembled folder, clearly waiting to be dismissed. She looked up in surprise at his gaze, tilting her head with curiosity that seemed disconnected with what he was saying. When he turned back towards the table, she kicked herself away from the wall and moved to stand behind his chair, her folder pressed tightly against her bosom.

The Mizukage raised an eyebrow, examining the daimyo. "But you changed your mind?" she inquired, her expression still a hundred times softer than that of the Tsuchikage beside her.

"I investigated," the daimyo explained with a weary half-smile, "Masaru had disappeared before the bodies were even found, taking much of his research with him. His old laboratory experiments were cleared out. His room picked of many of his possessions. It wasn't just his stuff either. A lot of valuable information had been destroyed. A lot of important items missing." The panels on the shogi screens had grown darker with the passing of time, but the daimyo wasn't looking at the other occupants of the small chamber. His vision traced out unknown shadows on the wall as he lost himself in his recollections. "There was nothing to suggest a motive or even where he might have gone. He must have been planning this move for some time before he made it… and yet he left the girl. She was his pride and joy – the ultimate weapon he had created. Wherever he was going she would have been invaluable to him, but he left her behind." His voice trailed off.

"Indeed," Gaara agreed, sitting up. His bright blue eyes grew intense as their dark rings narrowed around them. "So why do that?"

"Why do any of it?" the daimyo snorted, glaring back at him, "Why kill those kids? He wanted to weaken the village – that much became obvious pretty quick – but then why leave behind one of the most promising and talented of all our young shinobi? One powerful enough in fact to be able to make up a bit for those losses in her own achievements? One that was highly attached to him and would have followed him anywhere? Why even bother with that forgery if the child was likely to obey him anyway?" One hand danced through the air, batting away invisible objections as he spoke. It slammed down onto the table, digits and blades spread out like a strange multi-legged spider. The Mizukage shifted nervously, but Naomi remained motionless as the others discussed her. She betrayed no emotion, remaining as still as a statue as her deadened eyes fixated on the centre of the table. "I expected the kid to try to escape and rejoin him," the daimyo sighed, his grimace lessening, "But she never did. When we interrogated her she seemed as clueless and confused as the rest of us – and desperately missing her sensei – so I figured something had to be going on…." The five kage exchanged hurried glances and the Raikage motioned for him to go on.

"The Hime called him 'driven' 'obsessed with gaining strength'," the daimyo sighed, acknowledging the girl behind him for the first time with a slight tilt of the head. "She has a talent for understatement sometimes. Masaru had a leaning towards being fanatical. He was fanatical about this village when he first started out on the Goddess of War thing and I, in my ignorance, didn't pay enough attention to notice him changing." His expression darkened and his posture stiffened. His fingertips twitched as he contemplated his unhappy reflections. "The girl was the ultimate weapon he had created for the village, but she was also a child he'd raised. From their earliest days his views, his opinions, had trickled down from mentor to pupil like water on sand – as the views of any father might to his child. He had raised her never to betray the village and he left her because he knew damn well she simply wouldn't, even if it meant betraying him."

Tsunade's eyes went wide. "So then he…?"

The daimyo nodded once. "So then he betrayed the village, weakened us – and set up the kid so it'd look like she was his accomplice," he replied, glancing away at the floor. "The punishment for treason is death… and he very nearly got her killed."

As the five Kage all instinctively stared at her, Naomi raised her head briefly. Loose strands of gray-brown hair tumbled from around her forehead protector as she met their gaze. Her features remained devoid of any sign of emotion, a cold mask of an obedient servant, but she quickly turned her face away.

* * *

_**(1)**_ I've actually been drawing out this moment because I have no clue how one correctly addresses a daimyo in polite Japanese. Just tono on its own seems a tad informal, but… If you can help me out on this it'd be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.


	43. Chapter 6k

Seishingakure no Sato was not a big ninja village. As such it didn't really have anything so grand as its own hospital. With the capital just outside the walls, injured ninja could safely be treated in any one of the major civilian clinics without it causing too much inconvenience. Talented medical ninja were always in demand at those places anyway. Their wide variety of jutsu meant they could perform operations beyond the skills of a normal surgeon and their willingness to do so (in return for reasonable financial compensation) was a boon for the general population. It was one of the few ninja professions in Seishin that always paid well and the constant interplay also kept relations between Seishin's ninja and Seishin's medical community at a very healthy level.

In actual fact there were little more than a few first aid stations, designed for emergencies, scattered around the hidden village itself, but there was one larger facility. Technically speaking it was an off-branch of the large civilian hospital currently contracted to help serve Seishingakure, but in practice they provided paperwork, donated equipment and more or less kept their noses out of the whole thing. This was strictly ninja territory and the ward existed solely for medical problems of a strictly ninja nature: cases so volatile or so classified that they simply could not be treated elsewhere; cases that might be dangerous to civilians; cases like the boy.

The child Gaara and his team had risked so much to return was lying in a medical pit that was two parts operating theatre and one part ward. There were two rooms like that, which switched purposes depending on demand and an observation bay just above them; the only part of the entire structure built above ground. It was windowless, as usual, and the air tasted stale and coppery; a by-product of the advanced filtration system designed to protect the occupants in case of an airborne enemy poison. In cases without the urgency of a major attack, it was just annoying and impractical and kept the air just slightly too cold for comfort. Similar things could be said about the rest of the furnishings.

It was unfair to gripe. The large medical firm had been generous – ninja were by nature good customers even in Seishin's unstable economy – and nearly everything, from the chakra-retardant white panel flooring and walls to the equally chakra-retardant interchangeable one-or-two-way reinforced glass of the observation bay, was state of the art. The technological apparatus that flashed lights and numbers down in the pit was well-maintained and absolute first rate and so was the stuff that wasn't flashing because it was unplugged and pushed against the wall for storage. The equipment was plentiful, the florescent lights were universally working (at least in the one pit room in which they were switched on) and the beds down there and the benches on which Naomi sat up in the observation bay were as clinically sterile and uncomfortable as those found in any good hospital.

The heavy, white reinforced tiles clattered as you walked on them and the buzz of electrical instruments filled the air, adding a cold unnatural background track to the hushed atmosphere in the medical pit. Rhythmic beeping and the rushing sound of oxygen pumps played as the main solo. Selected machinery had been lined up around the far wall for use, a bright wall-mounted lamp pulled forward to provide the statutory excessive illumination and a whole series of tubes twisted and coiled from hanging bags and tanks around the solitary bed, surrounded as it was a scattering hard injection-moulded chairs; the smallest of deferences to the comfort of the medical staff on twenty-four hour duty.

The child was a lone patient here. His greyish skin had grown darker with his improving condition, but the large sunken eyes remained closed. An oxygen mask doomed over his flattened face, feeding his weak little lungs with life-giving air and a pair of chuunin-level nurses in bright white tunics and trousers fidgeted around him, checking intravenous tubes and monitoring equipment. One of them, an oriental-looking young man, kept sneaking stray glances at the foot of the bed where Yurika stood discussing case notes with Sakura.

Their brightly coloured hair and clothing provided the only real splash of colour in an otherwise monochrome environment, but both of them had donned traditional white medical coats over their regular gear. Yurika's long blonde ponytail swished and her brightly coloured bangles jangled as she walked, still barefoot even on the cold chakra-retardant floor. She sat down the edge of the bed, carefully leaving plenty of space between herself and her tiny patient's little feet, examining the medical chart in her hands.

"Well," she exclaimed, adjusting her position so Sakura, who was leaning on the metal bars of the end of the bed, could see as well, "Our little boy is definitely out of the woods now, isn't he? A big improvement from when he first arrived. The Rowna were marvellous. There's still no telling when he's gonna wake up though. Could be days, could be weeks, could be right now even…" She glanced across at the child, but he remained resolutely unconscious. Clicking her tongue, Yurika jerked her head meaningfully at the smaller dark-skinned female nurse who hurried to readjust the mask over the child's face. The deep steady rhythm of the oxygen pump grew slightly more stable and the medic jounin nodded with apparent satisfaction.

"We should probably check for brain damage when does regain consciousness," Sakura added, peering at the child as she bounced slightly on the balls of her feet, "He was in a terrible condition for a long time. There's no telling what effect that might have had on the oxygen supply to his brain and vital organs."

Yurika shook her head, rocking backwards so she could stretch her legs. Her painted toes spread in all directions and the male nurse nearly dropped the bedpan he was changing. "Nah, he'll be alright," she replied, hopping off the bed and stretching her arms and back, as the female nurse glared at her colleague who was hastily checking he hadn't spilled anything. "It's amazing what children can recover from. Much more resilient than us adults by a long shot," she laughed, but her eyes quickly darkened and her arms folded as she turned back to their patient, "I'm more worried about what else those bastards might have done to him. Have you seen those notes? It's incredible someone could do that to any human being - much less a kid."

Sakura said nothing and picked up the abandoned chart as it lay on the blankets. She skimmed through the readings, flicking forward and backwards through the pages as she searched fruitlessly for inspiration. She had been Tsunade's apprentice and that meant that she knew in all too much glorious detail that these things did happen all the time.

The fifth Hokage had spent for her formative years as a genin on the same team as Orochimaru, a man whom the third Hokage had once thought to make his successor. That was until he was discovered to have secret laboratories, all throughout the leaf, performing human experiments very similar indeed to what had happened to this little boy. Yamato, an ANBU jounin who took over for Kakashi as their team captain when the latter was unavailable, was an actual survivor of one of those forays into the world of inhuman science. He was the only one who had lived out of a large batch of children subjected to Orochimaru's testing.

Sakura felt slightly ill. Drawing her medical coat around herself, she slid into one of the nearby chairs. Her fingers snagged in her pink hair as she combed a hand through it, her unseeing eyes fixed on the readout chart dropped on her lap. Her skinny knees knocked together slightly as she breathed deeply.

Sasuke had been Orochimaru's apprentice. The rogue science ninja had injected the boy with a powerful curse seal during their first ever chuunin trials, the only one Kakashi's two male pupils ever taken part in. It had been the first part of a spiralling vortex of events that had and were still pulling Sasuke towards his inevitable destruction. Frustrated by a perceived stagnation in his ability and still desperate for revenge on his brother for the murder of their entire family, Sakura's teammate had defected and sought out Orochimaru for help, only to wind up killing him as soon as he became more powerful than the traitorous sannin. Then after the successful execution of his revenge upon his brother, Sasuke discovered that Itachi was in fact merely an agent of darker hidden powers within Konoha itself and the grief and guilt from his own actions pushed him further and further down a path of darkness until he wound up working with Uchiha Madara, the man who wanted to destroy the world.

Sakura closed her eyes. Her fists clenched as her face began to sting and she held her breath, desperate not to cry. Sasuke, who had been raised in the Leaf, who had been taught like the rest of them the value of camaraderie and friendship, the importance of love and loyalty towards one's village and one's team, who had been an integral part of the Team Seven family, the nearest thing to a brother Naruto ever had and the love of Sakura's life – he had become someone who could kill in an instant, mercilessly and for no reason. He had proven that when he carelessly sacrificed Karin, his devoted if annoying comrade, the moment she became the slightest hindrance to him and, again, when he showed little emotion over doing the same to Naruto and Sakura during their last face off. Sasuke was working with someone who wanted to destroy the world, turn it into a lifeless fresco immortalised in the annals of time, and he probably didn't even care.

Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Yurika staring down at her with concern. The older woman knelt, fishing in a pocket for a handkerchief, and pressed it into her hands with a squeeze. Sakura hadn't even noticed when she started crying, but her checks were clammy and wet now and her nose felt strangely itchy with rising mucus. She winched, hunching slightly as she hid her face in the handkerchief and hurriedly attempted to restore herself before anyone else noticed.

Yurika gently rubbed her thumb in slow circles against the girl's arms and lifted the chart from her lap, with a mind towards hanging it back on the end of the bed were it belonged. She stood, patting the younger girl on the head slight as she did so and turned her attention back towards the two nurses, who were thankfully still absorbed in checking instruments and finishing up on what they were doing – or at least pretending to be.

The jounin's sun-kissed features screwed up as she frowned. "Go on. Get lost," she sighed, waving a hand dramatically as she strode towards the readout of the heart-rate monitor, her unfastened coat flapping pointlessly behind her, "Take a five minute break. You've been on duty for ages. Sakura-san and I can handle it while you get some food and a sit-down – but if anyone gives you any orders, and I don't care if it's the hime, the daimyo or the spiritual incarnation of your late great-grandmother, you tell them to go get lost unless they run it through me. Got it?" She glared at the pair of them as they hastily retreated through a small side door in the far end of the medical pit and scowled, tapping her teal manicured nails against the clipboard in he folded arms. "I don't do politicians in my hospital rooms – least of all when they're related to me." Sakura laughed rather hoarsely, rubbing her face.

Yurika shrugged and shot a vehement glare up at the observation bay, a brief return of her earlier virulent irritation at discovering her fiancée's little sister had been giving instructions to her nurses without consulting her. She hated people meddling in her medical bay and that didn't change even when she was a mere marriage away from being in the hime's immediate family. It was well known fact that she barely managed to tolerate interference from more senior medical personnel as it was.

Ninja society had a general precocious streak with many shinobi highly advanced in specialised careers decades before members of other cultures would have had the chance to achieve the same status. Partially this was because they started so young. The average genin was barely twelve or thirteen when they started work and so they ended up stacking up long years in service before they even hit two decades. Sakura herself had been practicing complex surgery at the age of fourteen and at barely twenty Yurika took charge of Seishingakure's medical centres like it was her god-given right. Actually it was, unless some older shinobi was oiked out of a nice comfortable retirement job in a civilian hospital for some emergency – and generally those same older shinobi leaned heavily on medical jounin like Yurika to make sure that didn't happen.

Sakura watched as her Seishin colleague got back to work, carefully checking the child's breathing and pulse and running her slender hands over the youngster's brow, before turning up and staring into the dark blue of the observation bay herself. The glass was set to allow two-way vision and she could just see the hime on the uncomfortable black plastic benches in the far corner. Her head was bowed and her messy grey-brown hair swept down over her shoulders as she wrote on something resting on her lap. She didn't look up once, but Sakura pursed her lips. Her first clenched as she observed the woman.

There was something off about her, she had decided. It could be the repeated warnings from everyone around her, the way even the younger ninja seemed so scared, but something about the woman made the medic ninja's hair stand on end. She couldn't get Momoka's warnings out of her head. _What kind of a ninja killed his own comrades? Had it been some kind of order? Like with Sasuke's brother Itachi? _ Sakura found it hard to imagine that the Hime would still be in service if it hadn't been, but still… _How could she live with herself after doing something like that? How could she turn up for work every day, knowing that the families of those she'd killed were all around her suffering all the more for her presence? How could she stand to see Momoka in front of her suffering because of her? Didn't she care? Was she so callus that all this was just another job to her?_

The thought gave Sakura chills. She remembered the very first thing Kakashi had ever taught them as ninja. _Ninja who don't follow the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum._ Sakura adjusted her medical coat, fingering the few poppers half-way down that she had actually bothered to do up. _If that was the case, then what exactly did that make Seishin Naomi-hime?_

Then it happened, a loud unmistakeable voice blared out of the intercom, making Yurika nearly double over in shock and Sakura reel backwards with her jaw open. "_Naomi-nee-san!_ Hey! Hey, Nee-san! I wanna talk to you." Propping herself upright with her hands so that she didn't crush their patient, Yurika turned to stare at Sakura, the sharp lines of her eyes and brow twisting as she tried to make sense of the sudden noise.

The teenager had her head in her hands. Rubbing her brow with her fingers, she released her forehead, sighing loudly in exasperation. "Oh, Naruto. Quiet down, will you? This is a hospital ward for goodness' sake…"


	44. Chapter 6l

Naomi turned at the noise, lowering her pen. "Naruto-kun?" she exclaimed, raising her eyebrows, "Are you here to see Sakura-san?"

The boy hung from one hand, half-in and half-out the open frame. The other was still stretched out in mid-air were it had pushed the door out of his way. He swung forwards, landing in a crouch on the alternating black and indigo tiles and stood up. His tanned face was flushed to a darker pink than usual and his whisker-marks twitched up and down as he panted. Even his orange tracksuit looked dishevelled, as if he had been running hard.

"Yeah, kinda," the blonde agreed, grinning, "She asked me to pick her up for dinner – but then I heard you were here … and I've not spoken to you since…"

"The Rowna camp," Naomi supplied, stretching across to the wall and flipping a switch that controlled the intercom. "Yes, I remember." A string of red lights died at the bottom of the glass wall, signalling that the normal transference of sound from one room to another had been halted. Just as well, down below Yurika still seemed in shock from the unexpected noise.

Like a small dark blue cavern, the room sloped downwards, finishing in a few rows of hard plastic-lined benches sunken into the floor like the balcony of a theatre. It gave an unparalleled view of the two pit rooms below – and a strange feeling of height-induced vertigo, as if you were slowly falling off the edge of a very steep cliff. Seishin's hime was seated in one of the far corners, next to one of the two narrow slanting walkways on either side of the seats – the stairs in the middle being inaccessible to a wheelchair.

She turned in her seat, eyeing Naruto as he stood watching her from the top of the incline. The dull artificial light glinted slightly from her forehead protector and her hand clenched as it lay supporting her on the backrest. Her eyes remained fixed on his face and something tightened in her expression, as she seemed to be holding part of a silent conversation in which he was the only one speaking. Confused, he took a step closer, but she had already turned away.

"You know," she sighed, pressing down hard with her arm as she climbed out from the bench and let herself slide into the wheelchair, parked in easy reach. "You really shouldn't let that bother you. I'm from another village. It's none of your concern."

Naruto frowned, struggling to catch up with what she meant. "That's not the point, is it?" he inquired, moving down the walkway towards her.

She paused, reaching back towards her seat to pick up the report she had been working on. "To you – no, it's not," she agreed, idly flipping through a manila folder and checking that all of its contents were in place.

Naruto slowed as he reached the chair. Carefully he reached under the wide overhanging wicker brim, leaning forward as he seized the two metal handles. "It is to you?" he muttered as Naomi turned to look at him. She flicked her hand out sideways, releasing the breaks. Naruto gasped slightly as the chair suddenly pulled on his arms with the call of gravity. His feet slipped a little with the abrupt motion, but he quickly regained his balance. Steadying himself he moved slowly started to move backwards, gently guiding it back to the top of the incline.

"Thanks," Naomi murmured, still turned sideways in the chair. She lifted her feet slightly to make pulling easier and kicked down the footrest, so she didn't have to keep them raised. Her hands twisted slightly against each other on the rough paper of the folder and she stared fixedly at them as she answered his earlier question. "I just don't see why you should involve yourself in something so far beyond your concern," she sighed, "And I wouldn't want you or your party mixed up in it anyway. I did warn you that associating with me brings trouble. If they think you're too close to me, people might start to treat you… differently - and I doubt the Hokage would want the strain on relations."

Naruto shook his head defensively. "Tsunade-O'Baa-san isn't the type to judge people so quickly," he declared, still eyeing the passing benches as he tried to navigate the chair. "She doesn't care what people think, if it's the right thing to do."

Naomi laughed out loud, throwing her hair back as she twisted in her seat pulling herself completely around so that she was kneeling in her chair facing the boy. "Yes, from the little I've seen of her I can tell she's a good woman," she agreed, still giggling as she rested her folded arms on the back of her wheelchair. The change in centre of gravity made it push slightly harder against Naruto's hands as he stood staring down at her in surprise. Her nose was inches from his, but she seemed to be bemusedly contemplating the expression on his face. The freckles on her skin danced as she grinned, lifting around her eyes and cheekbones with the action of the muscles. Then her smile slowly weakened as her thoughts darkened, and she let herself fall back against the chair's armrests, sliding into the proper seated position. "Konoha is lucky to have her as its leader," she murmured, closing her eyes, "That doesn't mean she would want to alienate herself from the people of Seishin while she's here. Our shinobi are valuable allies in this war, where every man counts. She needs them to stay strong for the Alliance."

"That's just stupid," Naruto snapped, involuntarily jerking the chair in frustration, "Why should one person matter so much to some stupid alliance?"

She was not even facing him as she whispered, "Because I am Seishin's hime… and because…"

"People think you're a murderer?" he finished the sentence for her as he pulled her up onto the level part of the observation bay. He pushed one handle out away from himself as he let them both go, spinning the chair around so that she faced him.

Her arms were folded and her face stern. Her blankets flapped loose with the settling centrifugal motion and her hair fell wildly across her face. "Because I _am_ a murderer."

Naruto narrowed his eyes, glaring back at her. "I've seen people who are real murderers," he shot back, his arms folded just like hers. "People who kill not because they have to, but just 'cuz they can. You're not that kind of person." She laughed coldly, looking away. Naruto shook his head. "What the hell happened anyway? How did you end up like this?" he demanded.

Naomi sighed again, raising her head so she could look into his face. Long strands of her hair slipped back behind her ears, letting him see the tight lines around her eyes and mouth. "I trusted someone I should not have trusted," she recounted, her voice as expressionless as her face, "I followed orders I knew better than to follow. I killed people I should never have harmed."

Naruto snorted, waving a hand dismissively. "Sounds more like you just made a mistake to me," he replied, his face softening and his arms tumbling gently back down to his side.

Her head snapped upright as she frowned at him. "A mistake that involved deliberately taking the lives of eleven good men and women," she hissed. The expression around her eyes was almost toxic.

Naruto stopped moving. He turned slowly, gazing at her. His lips moved trying to formulate a response, but he got lost in the hard glare he was faced with. Naomi wasn't looking for sympathy. She was stating facts. Her actions had taken lives and made her a murderer. It was clear that any notion that she should forget those particulars offended her deeply.

The boy wondered if she realised that this very indignation proved that she cared just as deeply about what had happened; that her anger was proof that it was too important to her to stop punishing herself with guilt. He thought it very loudly just in case she happened to be receiving the thought. Her expression did not visibly change at all.

There couldn't have been more than perhaps two meters width spanning the small area they were standing in. A flat plateau before the sloping benches, more of a holding area for the double fitted entrance, it was nevertheless big enough for a few simple tables with fitted benches, crammed at each end of the small corridor. Light shone in irritatingly bright strips along the centre of the ceiling, but the deep blue curves of the domed room absorbed luminesce like a flower took in water. It left the overall effect somewhat cold and murky. A water-cooler stood idly next to a large plastic plant near the door. Needless to say there were no signs of disposable cups anywhere in sight.

Naruto sighed. He moved, slumping into a seat next to a table, and fidgeted idly with the zipper of his orange tracksuit. His fingers drummed almost involuntarily on the surface in front of him and he watched them, unseeing, with as much detachment as if they belonged to someone else.

A bump against the table startled him out of his thoughts and he glanced up, coming face to face with Naomi again. She had relaxed a little. The hard expression was gone from her face, but she wasn't really looking at him either as she sat in her wheelchair at the head end of the table. One of her blankets hung around her arms and her fingers were still curled over the folder in her lap. Feeling Naruto's gaze, she glanced up and smiled weakly.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," he announced, dropping both of his own hands flat on the table and leaning forward. He squinted slightly, holding her eye, "Ren's Momoka's sensei, right? Like Kakashi-sensei is to me?"

Naomi raised her eyebrows, moving back against her chair. "The system in Seishin isn't quite like the one in Konoha," she explained, running a hand through her hair. She glanced down at her fingers, tapping them slightly against her hands as she recounted facts, "We don't have enough jounin to assign them all individual teams of genin to coach. Our genin do a year of basic training under the supervision of various older genin and chuunin, before we assign them into permanent teams under set chuunin teams. Those chuunin then answer directly to a single jounin who is responsible for everyone in that pyramid. If the jounin needs a team for a mission, they are at liberty to pick whoever they like from those under their command."

Naruto squinted at her, chewing his lip in thought. Then he sat back down against the bench with a thump. "And you're avoiding my question," he declared, folding his arms petulantly, "Badly too or I probably wouldn't notice."

Naomi closed her eyes, becoming still. "Momoka-kun worked with my O'Nii-sama a few times as a genin and seems to do surprisingly well under him," she confessed quietly, "Putting her on his team was a natural decision from that."

"And you made that decision," Naruto smirked, leaning in closer.

Naomi turned her head away, staring at the floor. "Assigning teams is one of my responsibilities. Yes."

"So you're not trying to look out for her at all by doing that?" Naruto leered, his weight almost fully pressed onto his hands as he bent over the table. Seishin's hime did not respond. She did not even move to acknowledge him and kept her face resolutely turned away.

"She works under your brother," the boy went on, bouncing slightly on the palms of his hands as he leant across towards her. "That's like one step away from working under you, right?" He let himself fall back into his seat with another thump and folded his arms in front of himself, nodding slightly as he did so. "My guess is you're trying to protect her."

Naomi's fingers clenched into a fist and she brought them back towards her body, pressing them into her abdomen with a sigh. "I killed Momoka-kun's brother," she murmured, still not turning around, "Her father died while she was a baby on a unit I was assigned too. Yes, I do feel like I owe her something, I suppose."

Naruto tilted his head, squinting as he contemplated this. "So you put your own brother in charge of her, so you could indirectly keep an eye on her training, huh?"

The woman turned back towards him, nodding slightly. "She does seem to work well with O'Nii-sama." She fished a stray lock of hair from her face, adding, "Strangely the blame she placed on me wasn't as readily transferred to him."

Naruto frowned. He stood up, squeezing himself between the table and the bench as he did so. "Then I don't see why it's gonna affect me either," he proclaimed confidently, folding his arms.

Naomi burst into giggles, covering her mouth with her hands as she huddled in her seat, unsuccessfully trying to stifle her laughing. The boy stared at her in confusion. "Things change, Naruto-kun," she exclaimed, sitting back up and smiling at him as she smothered the remains of her chuckles with one of her hands, "And not everyone is as simple to deal with as Momoka-kun."

The Konoha ninja squinted at her, scowling. He sat back down and tilted his head towards her. "Why…?"

He never got to finish the sentence. Half-way down the rows of benches a side door burst open and Sakura strode through it. Her apron-skirt and short pink hair flew out behind her as she hurried up the aisle towards them. "Naruto?" she bellowed, waving her hands to catch his attention, "Sorry, I kept you waiting. I had to wait for the nurses to get back from their break."

"That's okay," the boy replied, turning in surprise, "I was just talking to…"

Her ungloved palms landed on the table as she panted from the excursion, forcing Naomi to move her chair out of the way just to give the girl room. "I saw," Sakura interjected, snatching at his collar, "Well, let's go." She tugged at him, moving away from the table.

Naruto pushed away from her, attempting to keep himself were he was. "But…" He glanced fervently at Naomi. She just shrugged, even as Sakura gave the boy another insistent yank. This time he had to brace himself just to stop himself from landing face first on the floor.

Before anyone could react they heard the outer entrance door being opened and Kakashi stuck his masked face around the inner one, just as all three heads turned to look. "Naruto? Sakura?" he called, relief spreading over his features as he spotted them. "The Hokage sent me to find you. She wanted to know about how things are going down here. Apparently she'd like to talk to you as soon as she's out of her meeting with the other Kage." He moved inside the room, beckoning them.

Sakura nodded happily. "Well, we were just leaving anyway," she declared, glancing back at Naruto, "Why don't we go wait for her?" She took a few deliberate steps towards their sensei before turning to glare meaningfully at her teammate.

Naruto righted himself, awkwardly facing the older woman. "Sorry Nee-san," he murmured regretfully, rubbing the back of his head with embarrassment, "It looks like I gotta go."

Naomi smiled, shaking her head and gave the wheels of her chair a push backwards as she gently spun the chair around. "That's okay, Naruto-kun. I've got to go and deliver this report of my own to the conference as it is," she waved the manila folder at him, sighing, "It's full of evidence for them to discuss. I imagine the Hokage'll be ready for you in another hour or two. Why don't you take Sakura for that lunch while you prepare? The Ninja mess hall is just down the road, near the barracks." She pointed vaguely in a direction to the right of the door.

"Okay," the boy nodded, grinning back at her, "Thanks." Sakura moved behind him defensively.

"Anytime," Naomi replied, smiling again and wheeled her way towards the exit, stopping only briefly to acknowledge Kakashi who bowed politely and held open the door for her.

No sooner had it closed behind her than Sakura turned and slapped her comrade over the back of his head. "Seriously," she exclaimed with obvious exasperation, folding her arms angrily as the poor boy attempted to peer up at her, still bent over with both hands clutching his skull from the force of the bow, "What were you doing talking to her?"

"What?" Naruto squinted up at her in confusion. Still crouched, he moved away hurriedly before she could attempt a second swipe, "Why not? She's my friend."

Sakura drew her breath through clenched teeth as threw back her head and screwed up her eyes. Her fists were shaking up and down in front of her. "Oh, Naruto, you're impossible!" she shrieked, stamping her foot as she brought both her fists and face back down again.

Forgotten somewhere by the door, Kakashi leant against the wall. Idly the silver-haired ninja watched as Sakura chased her comrade back down the length of the room and shook his head, tutting under his breath.


	45. Chapter 6m

The Mizukage cleared her throat, sitting back in her chair. "On that note I should probably be getting back to Granite," she declared, rubbing the fabric of her sleeves as she spoke, "They may allow Seishin representatives to set foot on that island now we suspect the involvement of a Seishin missing nin." She set her hands authoritively into her lap, glancing around the table for confirmation.

Time had worn on yet further and by now the room had taken on a decidedly frosty air. The heat from the cushions had long since dispelled and the temperature had dropped so low that little clouds of white foggy breath now rolled over the tabletop, building in the crevices of discarded paperwork. The Raikage shivered, pulling his pale cloak tighter around his dark skin as he sat back in his chair. His one arm was now laid prone across his torso, fingers working the stub that had once been part of the matching limb. "The back-up would be appreciated," he agreed wearily, exchanging a brief nod with Tsunade and Gaara. The Tsuchikage clicked his tongue, sending up small puffs of breath in agreement.

A sharp tap resounded over the room as the daimyo gathered up the papers in front of him, carefully avoiding slicing them with his blades, and knocked them into a neat pile. "In that case the hime will prepare a team and be ready to assist you as soon as possible," he pronounced with an air of finality as he sat back in his seat. Her pink skirt quivering as she moved, Naomi bowed behind him. "Needless to say," he went on, regarding her out of the corner of his eye, "We of Seishin wish for a speedy – and final – conclusion as far as Kuroppoi Masaru is concerned." Tsunade glanced up, in the middle of attempting to inconspicuously rub one hand over another to aid circulation, and the Mizukage openly frowned, but the daimyo still turned slightly in his seat, leaning a little closer to his subordinate. "I do, of course, assume here that you'll be fit for duty if I send you?" he growled in a low whisper, an ominous undertone layering his voice. She stiffened in the middle of her bow and nodded obediently, but as she rose her eyes were suddenly fixed on the Tsuchikage.

He was back on his feet, furore written all over his round features. His avocado-coloured jin-haori fluttered and his top-knot bounced as he stood on his chair, raised his fists in disgruntled alarm. "I'm sorry, what?" Huffing slightly, he glanced around at the other kage for support, not so much asking a question so much as declaring his disapproval. The Raikage glanced across at the tiny man, pausing slightly to listen as the remaining kage straightened up rigidly around them, adjusting various body parts that had gone rigid from the cold.

There was no sign of intimidation however as Daimyo turned to face his antagonist, eying him with a cold detachment. His tanned bladed hands lay flat on the table and his bushy eyebrows lowered, as he continued to speak despite the disturbance, "The hime will prepare…"

There was a snort from the Tsuchikage. "You can't possibly think we'd want the hime on a mission like this?" he demanded. Contemptuously, he dropped his fists and folded them over his chest. His beady little eyes flashed and he inclined his head towards the other kage, egging them on with a glare. The Raikage exchanged a weary glance with the Mizukage and Tsunade frowned, rubbing her neck. Gaara remained motionless, watching Naomi for any signs of reaction from the corner of his eye, but there were none. She waited, poised but inert, her face as blank as if the conversation had not been about her.

The daimyo merely raised an eyebrow. He sat back in his chair, letting the chains chink around his torso as he did so and folded his arms over them. "It is the Seishin's right to deal with any rogue ninja of ours," he reiterated coolly, "Seishin Naomi-hime is, despite everything, still my foremost…"

"That may be," the Tsuchikage scoffed, shaking his head, "But the man in question is her former sensei. You said yourself he practically raised her; was like a father to her even. You don't think that may lead to a conflict of interest?" He thumped his folded hands on his chest for emphasis and the Raikage made a vague noise of assent.

The daimyo sighed, closing his eyes. Muscles twitched beneath his wrinkled face and he dragged his teeth over his damaged lip, leaving it momentarily whitened. "He was like a son to me and I'm ordering his execution," he replied tersely. His blades furled out like spiders' legs as his fingers flexed agitatedly against his skin. "Like all Seishin ninja, the hime is first and foremost a professional. She won't let petty feelings get in the way of…"

"Well, I'm sorry, but I disagree," the Tsuchikage interrupted, huffing as he straightened out his jin-haori, "She may feel that way now, but who can say how she'll react when actually faced with the man. I say she…"

The daimyo's chair clattered as it hit the ground. He stood, his bladed hands flat on the table as he leant over it and his eyes narrow and glaring at the man. "Are you questioning her loyalty?" he growled, air hissing between his teeth as he sucked it in.

Like panicked birds, Tsunade and the Mizukage scrambled to their own feet, jade haori and cobalt sleeves flying as they drew up in alarm. The Tsuchikage inched backwards a little against the backrest of his chair, the cushions slipping beneath his white socks; his position suddenly rigid in the face of the other man's ire. "I…I just meant…" He raised his hands placatingly, unnerved by the ferocity in the stare.

"Are you questioning the obedience of my ninja?" the daimyo hissed, his features growing more fierce as he spat the words. The blades on his hands shuddered violently as his nails bit into the wooden surface. Gaara tensed, staring at them. "Are you suggesting that any of them would do anything _less_ than obey my orders absolutely?" He slammed a palm down on the table, straightening up.

"Oh, come on now," the Raikage offered, standing up himself and making a few downward motions with his hand. His cloak furled around him and his muscular features were a picture of uncertainty as he glanced towards the other kage for aid. Tsunade's flushed features nodded in agreement, her own arms wide in a pacifying gesture as she tried to diffuse the situation. The Mizukage also tried to soothe the daimyo, her fingers inches away from the man's shoulders. "Come on now," she murmured, hesitantly, attempting to keep her voice peaceful, "Surely there's no need for…"

Shrugging her off, the daimyo glared viciously at them, pushing himself away from the table. He strode back towards the hime, a motionless figure in the background, and snatched at an almost invisible weapons' pouch at her waist. Naomi stared at him in surprise, her body stiff, but momentarily he withdrew his hand again, barely avoiding slicing her with his blades. "You see this?" he growled, waving a kunai towards the table.

The Mizukage gasped, covering her mouth in alarm. Gaara snapped upright and out of his chair. "What are you…?" he inquired, but never bothered to complete the sentence. His dark-ringed eyes widened as he caught his breath and his hands curled fruitlessly before him as he sought some useful action. He glanced at the Raikage at his side, but the man shook his corn-rowed head. The broad dark-skinned kage had his own eyes narrowed as he scrutinised the feudal lord, flexing his fingers as he readied himself in case of sudden action. Tsunade swallowed, agitation jolting through her, her eyes fixed on the weapon as she tensed up on the balls of her high-heeled sandals.

Glinting the dark blade whirled through the air, twinned with the lighter steel of the daimyo's fists. He thrust it before him, shaking the dagger violently as he drove it into their line of sight. "You see it?" he roared, his lips flaring. Naomi flinched at the noise. A hand twitched at against the manila cardboard as if she longed to turn away and cover her ears.

The green, gold and red of the Tsuchikage's jin-haori fluttered around his dark ninja clothes as he moved across the table, cautiously raising his hands. His face had grown stiffer and much more serious than before. "Yes," he intoned, with deliberate calmness, "Yes, we…"

"How about you, girlie?" the daimyo barked, spinning around and ignoring the other. His wiry old body was clearly still as fit and lean as a mountain cat. Sinew played along the length of the arm as he held out the blade, tip pointed directly at the young woman's face.

"Yes," Naomi replied, her voice very quiet as her own upper limbs dropped to her sides, the folder clutched loosely in one hand. "Yes, Tono-sama, I see it." Her fringe fell over her eyes as she peered at her own weapon through strands of grey-brown hair. Pale skinny fingers clenched over their thumbs and she hid them against the dark pink of her skirt.

The daimyo thrust his hands forward again; his eyes still fierce. "Then slit your throat with it."

"What?" Tsunade cried, launching herself over the table. Automatically Naomi raised a hand and a golden barrier shimmered into place around herself and her feudal lord, protecting them both from interference. Her eyes remained transfixed on his face.

The Mizukage shook her head wildly. Her long hair went flying as she slammed her fists down against the table. "O'daimyo-sama!" she yelled, desperately attempting to get his attention, so she could distract him from his insane demands or try to calm him down.

The man ignored her. "Do it," he repeated, twisting the dagger so it pointed handle outwards towards the other Seishin shinobi. His own blades fanned out around his hand like a strange metal halo, as the kunai hung carefully pressed between two of his fingers. She reached out, a thin delicate arm plucking the murderous instrument from him.

"No!" Gaara pushed forwards, barging into position beside Tsunade. His hands landed on the barrier, gold glittering under his fingertips. It was firm and unyielding. He grunted angrily, banging his fists against it.

Naomi raised the kunai upwards, levelling it against the side of her neck. Her hair fell backwards as she shifted her position slightly and she touched the blade once, very gently, against the skin. Her eyes closed and in one swift motion she scored a deep red line over the throat. Blood poured from the wound, gushing down over her neck in phenomenal amounts. She gasped, staggering down onto her knees before the silent daimyo, gurgling as she struggled for air through the ruptured pathway. Her hands stretched out before her, catching her torso as she gulped and wheezed, each vain effort multiplying the blood pouring down her front as she bled out before her pitiless lord.

Gold flickered around her as Naomi struggled to maintain her barrier in her condition. The Mizukage turned towards the Raikage and Tsuchikage, silently beseeching them for intervention, but they gazed back at her just as helpless. "Stop this," Tsunade screamed, her fists knocking against the barrier, "Stop this!"

Gaara stared fixedly at the growing stream of blood, a cold numb feeling spreading up his limbs. He felt himself shiver and unconsciously reached for the familiar protection of his sand. It wasn't there. Most was lost at the bottom of the ocean and the pitiful amount that remained had been abandoned in his room, as per protocol, along with the rest of his weapons. He felt oddly naked without it. The sticky wetness before him was uncomfortably, nauseously familiar. He had revelled in it once, in the near madness of his younger years, but now the sheer amount made him feel ill. A wound that bled so much, he knew well, would prove fatal in less than minutes.

"This is uncalled for," the Tsuchikage shouted, his round face contorted as he balled his fists and stamped, yelling at the daimyo, trying to snap some common sense into the man, "There's no need to do this. Let the girl go. I take back what I said…"

The daimyo knelt beside his fallen shinobi, watching impassively as the blood stained her clothing and poured in rapidly growing riverlets to the floor around her hands. "Seishin ninja are born and raised at the will of the daimyo," he declared, in a raptured monotone, tracing some of the red fluid with the tips of his blades, "They breathe at the will of the daimyo."

Tsunade shook her head wildly. Her pigtails flying in frustration as she banged her hands against the flickering barrier. "Daimyo-sama, please, she'll die…"

"They fight at the will of the daimyo," the feudal lord went on, pausing in his motion but still fixated on the bleeding woman. "They act only upon the will of the daimyo."

"Enough," the Raikage bellowed, smashing the table into pieces and forcing the Tsuchikage to jump for safety, "Stop this right now."

"And they die at the will of the daimyo," he finished, reaching out and touching her hair lightly, staining the shaking strands crimson beneath his fingertips, "While young in combat or of age and illness – as I choose. That is the way of the ninja in Seishin."

"Stop it," the Mizukage yelled in sheer frustration, balling her hands into fists.

"Please," Gaara whispered, his breathing harsh and rapid as he stared at the blood, his body rigid and strangely heavy. He winced, glancing now at the feudal lord, the boy's mouth dry and his hands clenched painfully over the skin of his arms, "Let Naomi live."

The daimyo rose, surveying the assembled kage with a cold smile. There was a tired light in his eyes and the wrinkles cavorted themselves on his face as he took on an expression that was almost impossible to translate. He folded his arms, flexing his fingers as he moved away from the glistening blood pool that was slowly soaking into the tatami mats and reached the golden barrier. "You can stop now," he murmured without glancing back at the fallen princess, "Let them heal you." The gold flickered and died in front of him and he left the room, shutting the door as Naomi collapsed on the floor, Tsunade rushing to her side.

* * *

**Review Form for Chapter 6:**

As always this is intended as aid for those of you unwilling or unable to leave me a full review for the story so far. Feel free to use it or not; or you can of course use it & then write out your thoughts too, if you feel inclined to do me such an honour. I'm always grateful for those who take the time to review regardless of how they did it. I really want to improve my writing & getting any sort of feedback is such an important part of that.

Thank you all for reading this far! I really hope you enjoyed the story.

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	46. Chapter 7a

Hello my duckie-chickie-precious-cute-peoples-es! Thank you to those of you who reviewed. It was great to see some familiar names crop up – great to know you're still reading and enjoying the story. That made me so happy; you have no idea! I know Chapter 6 was a little slow on the action stakes, but hopefully things should be picking up again round about now, along with the much awaited romance arc, which should be slowly kicking into gear over Chapter 7 and 8. Yes, I'd not forgotten… I'm not that stupid. Honest. I just felt that a normal relationship takes some time to establish, especially with everyone as secretive, dishonest and downright mean as they are in Seishin.

Oh and some of my most dedicated, special reviewers can expect a little surprise during the course of Chapter 7. It's not a huge thing and it's not got much impact on the story – but it's my little way of saying 'thank you' to those people who have really stood out and supported me during the course of writing this. I owe you guys a lot and sometimes I felt like you were all I was actually writing for.

Chapter 7 is, as usual, dedicated to silverwolf1213 (from TONFA), Rowanrose (from TONFA), TeamWorkIsKey (from TONFA), December Myosotis, maxridelover, shifuni, Aithre Lenore-Light, QueenOfKites, xxmisfit121 and Gods3rdEye (all from ). Thank you all for your kind words. They meant a lot to me and touched my heart.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_Fear. The tiny body shook with emotion. She cowered at the bottom of the wardrobe, covering her ears, pressing her face into her knees. Over-sized ninja gear trembled around her tiny limbs. She didn't want to go. Training wasn't nice. She was afraid. _

_Anger. It was growing somewhere in the pit of her stomach. The child couldn't be found. She was hiding again. _Where was the kid? It was time for training._ She smashed her fists into the floor in frustration, knocking her head against the shelf above. _Where was the kid?

_The door crashed open and someone yanked open the wardrobe. Shishou towered over her, reaching in and snatching at her arms. As he dragged her out into the room she finally understood. The anger was his; the fear her own._

* * *

"_Dattebayo! _I'm hungry!" Naruto snapped, rolling over onto his side on the couch. There were no fires lit in any of the grates in the communal area between the Konoha and Suna bedrooms. A paltry sprig or two of light snuck in through the stained glass, but mostly a small bottle-brown glass lamp was left to do all the work. It sat on the low chestnut wood table in between one of the square groups of sofas, carefully attempting to shoo what little darkness it was able to back into hidden corners under the furniture and dusting a dim amber glow over the hard stone. Even so the sullen grey of the granite and schist of the walls and the deep red of the hardwood furnishings looked darker still in the half-light. "So hungry!" Naruto moaned again dramatically, kicking his legs against the armrest.

"Oh shut up," Kankurou muttered, tossing aside the book he was reading and slumping down against the red velvet cushions on his sofa. A frown started to twitch at the lower end of his mouth and he sat up suddenly, sliding a hand under the cat-eared hood to scratch his head. "Actually," he confessed, the frown now full-blown, as he withdrew his hand and glanced around the empty common room, quite dingy except for their yellowy-brown patch of light, "I am too. What time is it?"

"Nearly noon," Naruto grunted, rolling over onto his stomach. He bounced his legs irritably down on the rest of the seat. "I want ramen… with fried chicken and egg and…"

Kankurou's brow creased still further. He tapped his knuckles against the velvet padding of the couch, glaring at the door. "That's odd. It's lunchtime and they haven't even served breakfast yet."

"I know," Naruto mumbled through the cushions, "And Sakura hasn't come back yet either."

"Sakura?" Kankurou straightened, staring at him, "Since when has she been gone?"

"Since yesterday…" the Konoha ninja turned his head slightly, squinting at his friend. His whiskers flared as he moaned, "We were waiting to see Tsunade O'Baa-chan and then Shizune came in and said there was a medical emergency and they needed Sakura's help and then she and Kakashi left and Kakashi said I should go to my room and I'm so bored, _dattebayo_." He sighed deeply, flopping onto his back. "It's so boring doing nothing… I've done my warm-up laps and five hundred press-ups and tried to lick my elbow…"

Kankurou's purple war paint contracted as he narrowed his eyes. "What kind of a medical emergency?"

Naruto flopped onto his back. "I dunno," he muttered, his arms over his face, "I didn't ask…"

"You didn't ask?" Kankurou stiffened and his eyes widened in alarm.

"No," Naruto groaned with exasperation, shaking his head with his arms still in place, "It's Sakura, _dattebayo_. Last time she had to go deal with a medical thing, it was a co-colono…colanic … They had to stick a tube up an old lady's bum to check on her…" His arms rose up in front of him, finger motioning some kind of inserting gesture as he struggled for the right words.

Kankurou brow creased again. He glanced worriedly at the door. "And you haven't seen her since?"

"The old lady?" Naruto inquired. He half-laughed, shaking his head, "No, I never saw her in the first…"

"Sakura," the Suna jounin corrected him automatically, without looking around.

Naruto sat up, one arm supporting his raised torso as he twisted it and squinted at his friend in surprise. "Well, yeah, obviously I've seen _Sakura_ since the old lady thing," he exclaimed, snickering, "I mean, I came here with her after all. I was with her yesterday…"

"_Since_ yesterday," Kankurou sighed with exasperation, closing his eyes briefly before glaring back, "Have you seen Sakura _since_ she left to deal with that medical emergency yesterday?"

"Oh, that…" Naruto shook his head and scratched it absently, "No. I said that, didn't I?"

"Have you seen anyone else?" Kankurou inquired urgently, leaning over the table slightly, "And if you say you saw 'me' I'm going to stick this book so far up your behind you'll need Sakura to perform a colonoscopy just to find it again." He vaguely indicated the dusty green hardback that had fallen in the shadows under the table. The faded gold of the title read something like 'Marionettes and Puppetry: A History' and with its cover depicting a faded photograph of a child's toy, it seemed rather too innocent for such brutal treatment.

"Why don't you ask Gaara?" his friend suggested, swinging his legs back down onto the floor and leaning on them as he spoke.

Kankurou blinked. "What?" His face tilted and then contorted as he took in the words with rather unwarranted surprise.

"Gaara," Naruto repeated, rolling a wrist in loose circles with each syllable, "Go ask Gaara. He'll know if anything important is happening." He rapped his knuckles lightly against his knee with the final statement, his face bobbing vaguely in the direction of the Suna rooms with an encouraging expression.

Kankurou shook his head, scratching the back of his hood with obvious embarrassment. "I haven't seen him since yesterday," he confessed, the purple war paint contracting around his eyes as he mumbled the words.

Naruto raised his brows, sitting bolt upright in surprise. "Since yesterday?"

"Since the meeting thing," Kankurou clarified, shrugging and glancing at the floor.

The blonde ninja stared at his friend, his brow furrowing as he took in what he said. "He's the Kazekage and you don't bother to find out where he is?" he exclaimed in astonishment, leaning still further across so that he nearly bumped into the small brownish lamp, "Are you supposed to be acting as his bodyguard or something?"

"Well, Temari's with him, I think," Kankurou shrugged again. He rubbed his neck, a trace of a blush appeared on his checks, and he leaned closer muttering, "Last time I went looking for the two of them when they were up to something political I got landed with like eight hours' worth of paperwork."

Naruto recoiled backwards into the sofa's cushions with a thud. "That su~ucks, _dattebayo_," he groaned loudly, closing his eyes as he grimaced in sympathy.

Kankurou snorted coldly, rolling his eyes. "Tell me about it," he agreed, flipping a hand upwards as he sat back against the seat.

A moment passed. The darkened room kept its silent vigil, the vague flickering of the shadows around the lamp provided the only movement. Then, almost at the same time, both of them turned, glancing back at one another, and sat forward again. Naruto coughed, clearing his throat. "So you've not seen Gaara or Temari since yesterday…" he reiterated, frowning slightly as he regarded his friend.

"No," Kankurou shook his head and chewed on his cheek as he ruminated on his own thoughts, "What about you? Did you see Shizune-san or the Hokage since this medical emergency happened?" He gestured vaguely towards the Konoha rooms.

This time it was Naruto who shook his head. "No…"

Kankurou hissed worriedly under his breath, glancing around the room and the back to the Konoha shinobi. "What about Kakashi-san?" he suggested, shifting slightly closer to the edge of his seat.

"That doesn't mean anything," Naruto shook his head again, scratching his thick mop of blonde hair, "He could be holed up with one of Ero-sennin's perverted books somewhere…" He trailed off. Turning in his seat he stared worriedly at the door that led to the Konoha rooms; the empty Konoha rooms.

"Right…" Kankurou glanced towards the Suna rooms. They were equally vacant.

They turned back towards each other, their eyes wide. Naruto pushed his hands down against the cushions, propelling himself upwards. "_Dattebayo_, you don't think…?" Kankurou was already rising out of his seat, "I probably should have a look around for Tema…"

As if on queue, the door down at the far end of the common room burst open. Kankurou froze half out of his seat as he noticed the thin bushy-haired blonde in her usual black kimono peering around the room through the frame. "Kankurou," Temari called, relief evident on her voice, even before he could make out her face, as she spotted him and hurried down the length of the room, "There you are! Where's Gaara?"

"Gaara?" Kankurou repeated nonplussed, still only half-risen from his seat, his eyes fixed on his sister.

"Yes, Gaara," she sighed dramatically, her voice dripping with exasperation. Now that she was closer they could see that her cheeks were flushed and she seemed dishevelled as if she had been rushing around, frantically searching for quite some time without stopping. "Our brother, you know: smaller than you, red hair, carries a gourd of sand – I'm sure you remember," she spat sarcastically, as she flopped forwards slightly, propping herself on her thighs as she gasped for breath, "I've been looking for him all morning. He never came back last night – and… wasn't he with you?" She looked up, suddenly frowning as she regarded her puppet-wielding brother. "He is with you, right?"

Still half-crouched, Kankurou glanced helplessly at Naruto, who shrank back against the sofa looking somewhat pale. The puppetmaster gulped slightly, straightening, but not looking his sister in the eye, as he emitted a strangled, "No…".

"No?" Temari snapped back upright incredulously. She stared at her older of her two brothers as if had suddenly grown an extra head, her mouth open as her brows contracted in horror. "What do you mean 'no'?" she demanded, her tone tingeing on hysterical, "He's the Kazekage and you don't bother find out where he is?" Her fists clenched and she seemed to pull herself backwards and somehow upwards as she gaped at him.

Kankurou rubbed his forehead awkwardly. "I thought he was with you…" he mumbled, scratching an ear.

"Well," Temari managed, still staring at him, "Where have you been?"

"Here," he muttered, not looking at her.

"What do you mean 'here'?" she gasped, her first clenching tightly as her voice grew in volume. She advanced on him angrily. Her fists shaking as she raised them. "You're supposed to be protecting Gaara, you… you… You ought to be with him at all times unless there's a Kage conference!"

"Well, so should you," Kankurou retorted, inching backwards along the line of the sofa. His hands half-raised his defence.

Temari's eyes flashed dangerously at the comment. She shook her head, practically snarling as she advanced on him. "Don't you start…"

"Wait, _dattebayo_!" Naruto interrupted, leaping between them before she could pounce. His arms were spread wide as he glanced from one to the other in confusion, "What the hell is going on here?"


	47. Chapter 7b

"I think it was this way," Naruto mumbled, jerking his head slightly. The trees rustled ominously in Seishin's ninja courtyard around them, as the blonde ninja strode over the leaf-strewn stone titles, rotating slightly as he walked. He stretched out his hands feeling the cool atmosphere rushing over his palms and between his fingers. The air smelt, once again, like rain, but there was none forthcoming at the moment, save the occasional drizzling patter in the leaves above, hard to distinguish against the tinkling of the fountains. With the sky thick with heavy grey clouds, even less light than usual filtered though the dense canopy, but the ground tingled with a bright dampness that wasn't quite mist, but might become it soon. Birds sang in the trees above. One or two fluttered back up into the trees as they spotted the humans.

"You _think_ it's that way?" Kankurou sighed, scrutinising the direction his friend had indicated, as he readjusted the scrolls fastened to his back and moved out into a gap between two rows of trees. He was a desert ninja and the constant lack of light and visibility was making him nervous.

Naruto paused, throwing his hands behind his head as he spun around in a circle on the spot. After a few seconds he stopped, Kankurou eyeing him wearily as he squinted back at the Suna siblings. The whisker marks squirmed on his cheeks as he chewed on the inside of his mouth in contemplation. "I'm pretty sure," he decided, nodding.

"Well, that's helpful," Temari mumbled, rolling her eyes with her arms folded. Her bare legs felt clammy in the moist air and she rubbed one behind the other in an attempt to alleviate her discomfort. Given that she had already been scouring the castle for several hours to no real avail, the trio had decided it would be best to venture out into Seishingakure if they wanted information. Naruto had offered to take them out to the hidden village's special medical facilities were Sakura might be, but this did rather depend on him remembering the way.

"Give me a break, okay?" he grumbled, rubbing his blonde mop. His ninja sandals slapped against the tiles as he fidgeted on the ground. "I've only been down here once and… Look I'll just…" He lowered his hands and readied them in front of himself, obviously preparing to use his clone jutsu to scout out the area.

"Nah, its okay," Kankurou grinned and gently boxed the side of the blonde's head, pushing him sideways against one of the trees, "I'm sure you're right." He turned vaguely in the direction indicated by the blonde and…

_Smack!_ Something large slammed straight into his chest, recoiling with enough force to knock them both to the ground. "Ow, ow," it whined loudly, holding its head and rolling over on the ground, "Oh…" Kankurou's assailant turned out to be a female ninja, perhaps a little younger than Naruto. She was wearing the regulation Seishin gear and dark flak jacket with the bottoms of her trousers rolled up. The metal forehead protector was set just slightly back on her head, so that it sat like a bandana in front of two brown bunches of hair towards the back of her crown.

"Hi," Naruto offered, squatting down ready to help the girl, as Kankurou cursed loudly and rubbed his chest. His sister kicked him in the small of the back, informing him not to be such a baby. He glared at her, pulling away to the base of a nearby tree and sulkily got back onto his feet massaging various tender areas of skin.

"Oh hi," the girl muttered, grabbing onto Naruto's shoulder as he took her hand and carefully pulled her upright. "Oh…" she patted him in thanks, glancing away wildly and then back at him, a worried look on her face. Clearly she had been in a real hurry. ""Have you seen any genin?" she gasped, barely pausing for breath, "My sensei'll get really mad if I don't bring some… and there are none in the assembly area or anywhere I looked. This is so frustrating. Nobody seems to be in the right place…" She stopped. Her hands were still were she'd left them on Naruto's shoulder and elbow and suddenly she tapped the area around his collarbone with something close to excitement. "Oh, where's your jacket? Are you a genin?" Her face had an oddly hopeful expression and her grip on his arm tightened.

"Uh," Naruto blushed in slight embarrassment, running his free hand over his hair, "Yeah, I suppose…"

"That's great!" she grinned in relief and then froze. Her lips pursed, as she examined him up and down, "Wait, where's your uniform… and…" She stopped again. Her eyes were locked on his forehead.

"He's from Konohagakure," Temari interrupted, stepping forward and pulling Naruto away, "We're from Suna. Do you know where everyone is? The castle seems to be deserted." She let go of the blonde's arm, tilting her head slightly way towards the castle gates as she phrased the inquiry.

The girl's eyes were open wide and she stumbled a few steps backwards, eyeing the small party. "Depends who you're looking for, really. The genin are all busy running assignments. Chuunin, like me, are probably out fetching more genin or doing errands," she explained slowly. Her voice was a little dreamlike as she appraised every last detail of their clothing and demeanour with ceremonial assiduousness. Clearly it was her first time meeting other ninja from so far away. Unconsciously she started fiddling with the training bandages from around her wrists as she did so. Her elbows were also tightly bound, but beneath her rolled up trousers her knees were bare and one of them looked slightly scabbed, as if her collision with Kankurou had not been her only recent fall.

"And all the jounin seem to have gone mad," she informed them with a sigh, noticing their bewildered faces. She yanked on a loose section of bandage, before pulling it tight and wrapping it back up around her joint, "These strange shinobi keep popping from everywhere barking orders: _go get kunai, go fetch more weapons, go find that, go do this_… Retirees, you know, people who have moved out into the country to do other jobs. Half of them don't even have their own teams anymore, so they keep stealing other people's." She groaned softly, rubbing her eyes with her newly re-bound wrist. "I can't get hold of any of the genin my chuunin team is supposed to be assigned today," she confessed. The pitch in her voice shot upwards with the last statement and she bit her lip, pawing at the ground as she clenched her shaking fists. "My sensei's gonna kill me if I don't find them. He's got a load of work for us. They say we've been attacked during the night. They say the Bakemono's dead. Urgh… my sensei is gonna kill me. I don't know what the hell's happening! Urgh… I've gotta go!" Kankurou did a visible double take and Temari stared, open mouthed, even as the girl spun around attempting to hurry away to whatever she was supposed to be doing.

"Wait what?" Naruto sprang forwards, catching her arm as he pulled her round to face him, "What's happened to Nee-san, _dattebayo_?" Her eyes scoured hers, desperate for information.

The girl stared at him blankly, uncomfortable with him gripping both her shoulders. "Nee-san?" she repeated in bewilderment, tilting her head slightly.

"Naomi-nee-san, _dattebayo_," Naruto clarified hastily, rolling his mouth around each syllable, "The hime." He leaned closer to her face, anxiously awaiting her response.

The girl frowned as she slowly figured out whom he meant. "The… Bakemono?" her brows knit tighter together and she rumpled her nose, bringing it forward until it was almost touching his, "You don't look like her brother… I mean, I've seen Ren-sensei, but…" Temari stared at the pair of them, glancing from one to the other.

"_'ttebayo_," Naruto sighed, releasing her. He rubbed his neck, slightly embarrassed. "I'm not. I'm just call her that cuz… I do. She's my friend, okay? Where is she?" He squinted at her, leaning forward again as he demanded an answer.

"I dunno," the girl shook her head, rubbing her arms, "I heard someone say she's dead, but… I dunno…" Kankurou frowned. Naruto glanced at his feet, clenching his fists.

"What about this attack?" Temari interrupted impatiently, pushing the Konoha shinobi aside as she stared hard into the girl's face. "What do you know about it?" Her fan quivered on her back and Naruto rubbed his arm as he regained his footing, glaring at it.

"Nothing really," the girl murmured, and took a step backwards. Her ponytails fluttered behind her as she moved. "I haven't _seen_ any signs of one, but everyone's talking about it," she explained, raising her hands as she spoke, "It's why they're all heading back to Seishin. Everyone wants to defend their homes and families." Temari gritted her teeth, hissing slightly as she drew back. Her shoulders slightly uneven, she stood grinding her teeth, her thumbs working through her fingers as she scowled, worrying.

"Well, who's in charge if the hime's not around?" Kankurou interrupted, striding towards them. His painted face was stern as he regarded the unfamiliar shinobi, his stance a masculine version of his sister's.

The Seishin girl shrugged, staring at them. "Ren-sensei, I suppose…" she proposed, shrugging again, "He'd know most about the current management of missions and the duty roster anyway." She shuffled her feet nervously, surveying the guests of her village.

"And where is he?" Temari demanded, folding her arms as she glowered at her.

The girl shrugged a third time, inching yet further away, "I dunno." Naruto winced sympathetically, shooting Temari a sideways leer.

Kankurou scowled, huffing slightly under his breath. "Do you know who else might be in charge?" he inquired, his arms tightening against his chest. He wasn't really looking at the girl, glaring at the damp ground instead as he scuffed his sandal against a flagstone.

She took a deep breath, glancing around at the three of them. "At the moment?" she murmured, picking at a bandage, "No, I don't know." The girl looked up and bit her lip in embarrassment. "There are only about eight jounin who work around the hidden village most of the time," she explained, raising a cheek muscle in an apologetic expression as she spread her arms wide, "Most of the rest have retired or don't take on missions anymore, because they have other jobs. Now they've all come back – I don't know who outranks who or who's in charge of who… I don't know if half of them still have proper positions here anymore…" Her voice trailed off, but then she caught herself, raising both palms flat in front of herself as she hurried to explain, "I mean nobody stops being a shinobi. You can't officially leave the village without there being trouble, but when you haven't done any ninja work in years and years…" She squeezed one of her wrists, looking away.

"Well," Temari made an irritable clicking noise at the back of her mouth. "Don't you have systems set up for this kind of thing?" she grunted, tapping her foot on the ground. Kankurou glanced at his sister.

"Ye~s," the younger girl whined, closing her eyes as she tossed her head back and flung her arms out wide, spinning slightly in a circle, "But nobody's following them, are they?" She grimaced as she faced them again. Her frustration was evident in her eyes. "Everyone's just barking out random orders. It's so not good. Think they think that without Ren-sensei and the Bakemono around they can just do whatever they want." She rubbed the side of her head, absently pawing at the ground, regarding the motif of arches on the far wall. Some of them had fountains underneath them, some of them small alcoves and a very few led out into other areas beyond the forecourt.

"Why doesn't somebody go to the daimyo?" Naruto suggested, stretching his arms in the air and yawning, "Get him to sort this out?" Temari gave him a surprised smile.

"Are you _kidding_ me?" the girl cried in alarm, staring at him. Her small body was almost shaking and her tanned skin flushed pale. "Seriously," she gasped, raising her hands in front of her as if to push them away, "Most of the jounin are afraid he's gonna find out people're not following regulations. All hell is gonna break loose when he does!" Naruto froze, lowering his arms again rather stiffly as he took in the panicked expression on her face.

"All the more reason to tell him," Kankurou put in gruffly, exchanging a glance with Temari, "Let things get knocked back into some kind of order." His sister clicked her tongue in agreement.

The other girl merely shook her head, glancing downwards. "I don't wanna get my sensei in trouble," she murmured, fiddling with her bandages again, "All the regular jounin are going spare trying to sort things out."

Temari sighed, loosening her hands from their folded position. She flipped her multiple ponytails, changing track with the questioning and softening her tone. "Well, what are you doing out here?"

"Looking for genin," the girl explained, shrugging, "I was hoping there might be some spare in the kitchens." She rubbed one foot against the other nervously.

"There aren't any there at all," Temari informed her, rolling her eyes and glancing briefly at a lighter patch in the canopy overhead, "Never mind spare."

The girl's eyes widened. "None? Are you kidding me?" she whispered, her voice suddenly very dry. Her entire body seemed to have gone stiff with alarm. She took a step backwards over the wet tiles, mechanically shaking her head.

"Nope," the Suna shinobi repeated, raising an eyebrow as she regarded the younger girl.

"Are you sure you're not kidding me?" This time the girl's voice was almost pleading. She peered round at the three of them as if hoping one of them would tell her it was all a lie.

Temari shut her eyes, refolding her arms and breathing deeply. "I'm positive," she snapped.

"Then who's cooking the meals?" the girl whispered, clutching at her bandages.

Naruto stared at her; a puzzled blonde mop in an orange and black tracksuit. "What meals?" His stomach growled loudly as if in confirmation.

"Like the meals in the castle and stuff," the girl replied, waving her hands in circles as she sought for words, "And making the beds? And doing the cleaning?"

"No one," Kankurou replied evenly. His arms were folded. Naruto nodded sagely, imitating him.

"Oh..." the girl froze and grimaced, "That is _so_ not good." She tilted her head slightly, glancing upwards at the outline of the castle towers and bit her lip.

"I know," Naruto agreed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm hungry."

The girl was barely paying attention. Still staring at the towers, she clenched her fists and groaned loudly. "The daimyo is gonna go ape when he realises," she whispered, closing her eyes.

"There's that too," Kankurou nodded, absently exchanging a sidelong glance with his sister.

"And he's gonna realise extra quick if no one is feeding him," the girl moaned, clutching her twin ponytails her hands and yanking them downwards as she stared up at the castle.

"Probably," Kankurou agreed wearily, rolling his eyes.

"He's probably hungry too," Naruto muttered between his teeth, glaring at the ground as he realised he was being ignored. Temari coughed, glancing at the cloudy canopy above. Her hands were clasped behind her back.

"That is so not good," the girl repeated, biting her lip and stamping on the ground.

"You said," Temari mumbled, still not looking at her. The girl didn't really notice.

"I'd better go sort that out," the Seishin chuunin groaned, turning in circles as she grabbed her ponytails again, "Urgh. Sensei's gonna go spare. The daimyo's gonna go spare. We're all in so much trouble. This is so not good." She grimaced, throwing her head back and groaning loudly.

"That's great," Temari cut in, slowly becoming exasperated. Her angular jaw was set and breathed out deeply, blowing part of her fringe into the air. "Incidentally you haven't seen a redhead with a gourd of sand running around anywhere?" She paused, thinking. Her folded arms sat squarely in front of her red obi. "Actually no, not a gourd of sand," she sighed, unclasping them and scratching her neck, shaking her own ponytails away from the skin as she did so. "Just sand at the moment. Or just anyone who doesn't look like they belong here?"

To her credit, the younger girl kept her manners. She folded her own arms, facing Temari as she ruminated over the question. "I've been seeing people who don't look like they belong here all day, nee-san," she half-laughed, but her brows were slightly raised, "But a redhead with sand?"

Naruto tried to help. "Gaara," he explained, waving his hands wildly, "He's like… a bit taller than me, got this kanji on his forehead, no eyebrows…" Kankurou smirked slightly, glancing upwards.

The girl frowned. "He sounds weird."

"He's the Kazekage," replied the Kazekage's grumpy older sister. Temari did not look impressed. Kankurou sniggered, scratching his head as he grinned at her. Naruto joined in, smirking, and got punched in the ribs by Temari.

"Oh," the girl blushed slightly. The Seishin kunoichi shook her head, readjusting the bandages around her wrists and smoothing down her shirt. Naruto was grimacing and holding his side, and Temari trod on his foot. "Then no. I've not seen anyone who isn't from Seishin," she told them, shrugging, as the Konoha ninja hopped rather pointedly away from the Suna pair. "I better go now," the girl groaned slightly, turning away as she ran a hand over the top of her head, "I'm going to get in so much trouble as it is."

"Can we come?" Kankurou inquired, leaning forward and attempting to catch her elbow.

The girl stared at him. "And watch me get in trouble?" she inquired, her face contorted with confusion.

"Can we come and help you sort this out?" he explained hurriedly, letting go of her arm. He gave her a reassuring smile, as he stood back and absently scratched behind his cat ear. "The more people we meet the more likely we are to find someone who actually knows what's going on."

"By all means," the girl laughed, rolling her eyes and jerking a thumb over her shoulder, "Next stop is Death by Genin."

"Sorry – where?" Kankurou took a step back, exchanging a bewildered glance with Naruto.

"Death by Genin," the girl repeated, smiling, "It's where we keep them until they are needed. The genin barracks. I'm Shifuni _**(1)**_ by the way, Seishin chuunin – who are you?"

* * *

_**(1)**_ _Cameo Numbero Uno_: Shifuni. For a grand total of 45 reviews (one for every instalment except 44), she certainly deserves her place among my select group of special thank yous.

(I had some openings for walk-in-walk-off, one scene characters in Chapter 7, so I figured rather than have them run into the same people over again, (_Ren's team can't be everywhere _all_ the time. This is a ninja village. It may be small, but it should have more than eight people in it_) I'd create some special cameo characters as 'thank yous' to the reviewers who had done most to support me and keep me going for all the months I've been writing this. There are only three, so these are just the people who have really, really stood out. Told you there was a surprise.)

I hope Shifuni likes her character. I had this image of this bright bubbly cheerful girl in my head and this was the end result. There is a picture of my 'ninja Shifuni' up on the website under: Extra Background Information Extra Information – FanFiction Naruto She Was Beautiful Character Biographies – Cameos and Bit Parts. Shifuni's got the slightly more light-hearted scene, so she might have come across as a bit distracted I suppose. She's not really, just very stressed and rushed off her feet with all the things that are happening here.


	48. Chapter 7c

Cutting through concealed entrances in the Ninja forecourt, Shifuni led them down out into a small curving space nestled between the inner and outer castle walls. Naruto glanced up happily. This was the hidden village, Seishingakure, itself, as opposed to the city or the castle they were more used to.

The ninja settlement was difficult to describe; if only because it looked as if someone had thrown all the contents in a bag and shaken them hard until they were thoroughly mixed up and then simply poured the settlement back out into the available space and left it to fester. Square stone buildings stacked up in uneven groups of two or three, others jutted out from walls, walkways and winding staircases twisted and coiled backwards and forwards and jutted out at the strangest angles. Everything was built from the same schist and granite as the rest of the castle, but the lack of light aggravated the shadows over the angular pointed windows and overhanging stone columns. Pathways wound through the mess and half the time one seemed to have to go backwards to go forwards or climb endless stairs or descend underground tunnels just to carry on straight ahead. Main roads could involve walking over what seemed to be a private balcony and squeezing through narrow gaps between buildings and wide open spaces might well lead nowhere at all. Gargoyles and statues laughed at them from the oddest places. The deeper Shifuni took them the more Kankurou felt like an ant lost in a jumbled set of children's building blocks.

That wasn't even the best of it either. Buildings that looked huge from far away might turn out to be really tiny and others seemed to expand unnaturally fast as you approached them. Some places looked as if they weren't on a level with the road when they really were, others would treacherously open out into a large drop at the last second. Some areas seemed to vanish completely if you glanced at them from the wrong angle; others liked to leap out at you from almost nowhere. Everything just seemed to be an endless mess of muddled stone and architecture. Walls, window ledges, inlay, outlay, spirals, twists, turns, tiles, fountains, statues… everything just turned into an endless stream of ornately craved grey as they passed it and Kankurou found himself increasingly unsure of where the floor was supposed to be.

Just when he had finally given up on ever regaining his natural sense of direction, their young chuunin guide stopped and indicated a set of buildings up ahead. "We're here," she told them, grinning happily, "These are the ninja barracks."

Naruto nodded vigorously, pumping an arm in a direction perpendicular to the one they had arrived from. He bounced happily from one leg to the other. "Yeah, that's right," he grinned, "The medical centre and the mess hall are just over there."

Shifuni chuckled in agreement. "You're good," she declared, patting him on the shoulder, "Konoha must turn out some pretty decent shinobi." As Naruto flushed with pride, absently rubbing the back of his neck, Temari peered along the line he had indicated. It seemed to lead straight into a dark granite wall. She rolled her eyes and sighed deeply.

"Why don't we just go inside and see if we can find anyone?" Kankurou muttered, rubbing his face into the flat of his palm, "Let's just try the barracks first. I think I need to get inside before I permanently loose my sense of perspective."

Shifuni laughed openly at that comment and waved them through a small archway that acted the inlet towards the buildings. Some mason with a decorative streak had laid out the kanji for the words 'Ninja Barracks' in the stone over their heads. "It's not that bad, you know?" the girl chuckled, shaking her head at a pale looking Kankurou, "You get used to it."

"You say that," he sighed, peering at her through half-closed eyes, "But I feel really sick…."

"Whoah, easy," she grabbed his shoulder, gently pushing him backwards, "You can sit down if you feel dizzy. It'll pass in a moment." His thigh hit a small wooden bench and he collapsed into it gratefully. He propped his head over his knees and started breathing heavily with his eyes closed. Shifuni squatted down next to him, rubbing his shoulder in slow circles. She would probably have rubbed his back, but the scrolls were in the way.

"Just don't throw up on me, 'kay," she warned him, adjusting herself so she was well out of projectile range, "I did not sign up for _that_ when I said I'd take you here."

Temari glanced around. They had stepped into a small forecourt-like area that seemed to encompass all the barrack buildings. 'Dormitory' might have been a better word. They actually seemed more civilian than military. It was a complete contrast to the nightmarish, heavy gothic architecture of the rest of the hidden village; these were clean-line suburban concrete blocks. Concrete staircases snaked up to individual apartments and the ground was laid out in intricate spiralling patterns of different pebbles. There were no plants – there wasn't really enough light – but here and there more homely touches had been added in, like the bench Kankurou was sitting on and the odd old-fashioned streetlamp flickering on and off.

"Do you hear that?" Naruto had gone on ahead. The orange and black of his tracksuit stood out in the dingy shadows and the pebbles crunched slightly under his feet as he walked. His blonde mop of hair practically shone as he cocked is head to one side, listening, "That sound… It sounds a lot like… Screaming?"

He burst forward, breaking into a headlong gallop. Shifuni was quickly at his side, panting hard as she struggled to stick near his shoulder. Pebbles flew out from under their feet as they tore around the apartment blocks, Temari struggling with Kankurou behind them. Naruto stopped, becoming dead still. He grabbed Sifuni's ar as she threatened to skid out beside him.

"I won't!" someone screeched, "_I won't!_ You hear me!"

The voice was echoing out of a large dilapidated building next to the outer wall. It was concrete in the same style as the others, although much bigger, but filthy from neglect with patches of black mould dotting the paint even on the outside. What colour it had once been intended as was now impossible to say, as the chipped flaking remains of the coating had turned a similar colour to the concrete breezeblocks underneath them. Most, if not all, the windows were missing and in some cases that included the shabby plastic frames that ought to have held the glass. Others were boarded up with flimsy chipboard sheets that had, more-often-than-not, been smashed through by occupants tired of the lack of lighting.

As Kankurou and Temari caught up, panting heavily, Naruto ascended concrete steps to a promontory of the building, eyeing the huge rectangular extensions to either side with their rows upon rows of broken windows. There wasn't even a front door. It had been knocked out and disappeared a long time ago by the look of the battered frame. Over the top of its battered archway the kanji inlay for the single word 'Genin' projected from the stone. Some distant comedian had chalked the phase 'Death By Being A' in front of it.

Naruto peered into the darkness of the littered hallway, Shifuni coming to stand by his side. Somewhere at the end of a long line of battered doors he could just see a young girl wrestling with what seemed to be a large wolf.

"I won't!" the genin screamed. She grasped franticly at an open doorway and clutching at the frame as the wolf attempted to pull her through it by her leg. "I wont! You understand? I won't listen to anyone who is not my Ren-sensei! I'm not doing anything except under his orders! You hear me! I won't!" She kicked at the canine snout viciously, tears streaming down her face. The wolf yowled and let go.

"You will if you want to stay on as a shinobi!" an older girl, who was obviously the owner of the canine's owner, snapped back, hurrying forward to the injured dog, "Understand?" Naruto watched wide-eyed as the wolf retreated behind its master's legs, placing a paw over its injured nose and whimpering like a puppy.

As his eyes adjusted to the gloom he could just make out the two girls fighting by the stairway at the back of the corridor. The one with the wolf was a chuunin level ninja, very tanned with her Seishin flak jacket prominent over her baggy black linen uniform. From what Naruto could tell she had very long dark hair, but she had an equally long coif in the shape of a wolf's head pulled over the top of it. The snout hung low over her own nose, obscuring her face from easy view. _**(1)**_

"No!" her quarry, a familiar-looking genin, blubbered, retreating into the room, "I won't!" As Naruto felt Shifuni move beside him, he remembered that she had been desperately trying to recruit genin to do their assigned work when he met her and guessed that this chuunin was simply trying to do the same.

"No!" the genin shrieked, "No! No! _No!_" She squealed loudly as her superior advanced on her, grabbing her by the shoulders and hauling her back into the corridor. Somewhere behind Naruto, Temari giggled quietly to herself.

"Does she _still_ not want to co-operate?" came a voice from further up the stairs.

"Apparently not," the chunnin called back, holding the genin at arm's length as the girl attempted to lash out at her with her fists. The wolf ran in circles around the struggling pair, yelping loudly with every blow to its mistress.

"Well then," came a dramatic answering sigh, as a figure descended the stairs, "We'll just have to note down her refusal to obey orders and let it count as black mark on her record. Shame really. Too many of those will cost her marks on her exam… which would mean she won't be serving on anyone's team as a fully-fledged genin, let alone Ren-sensei's."

"I… what?" The genin was suddenly rigid. You could hear the shock in her voice. The wolf stood stock still behind her. With classic canine irony, its tail was now wagging madly.

"Oh come on," the hooded chuunin moaned, letting go of the girl, "You've been here for months. Surely you know the rules by now?" She leant forward, tapping her gently on the forehead. "You're a Probie Genin," the chuunin reminded her, in a soft chiding voice, her wolf nose almost touching the girl's, "A Rookie. You've got one year to learn the ropes and then we test you to see what you're worth. You fail the test; we kick you out. One white mark equals zero-point-five percent added to your final exam score. One black mark equals _ten_ percent of the points removed. Ten black marks equals automatic fail." She straightened, counting the items off on her fingers as she spoke.

The genin visibly slumped. She ground her feet against the bare concrete floor, sighing loudly. "Yes, but… Ren-sensei's not around," she sniffed, suddenly metamorphosing into a small, timid, little shape in the dark corridor, "I'm worried."

"Doesn't mean you get out of doing your work, does it?" replied the figure on the stairs. This was another chuunin. She had chosen to wear a slightly elongated black top under her flak, so that the bottom of it billowed around the tops of her thighs like a skirt. Her hair had been wound into three large buns around her head with two shorter plaits dangling down over her shoulders. Her pale face was prominent in the prevailing darkness and her large eyes and dead straight nose, made her appear just a little like a princess. _**(2)**_

"So you guys haven't seen him either, huh?" Shifuni interrupted, sprinting the length of the corridor towards the group. With a glance back at Kankurou, who nodded behind him, Naruto followed her at an awkward distance. He was slightly reassured at the sound of the two Suna siblings following suit. The stench of bad plumbing was overpowering after about two paces and what he'd taken for strangely patterned wallpaper was actually mould. Thick black fuzz grew over large areas of the ceiling and water trickled down along various parts of the wall. The floor was thick with dirt and at times Naruto found his sandals sticking to it in a very un-enticing way.

"Nope," the hooded chuunin replied, reaching out and snatching the genin's elbow, "But don't even try bagging Rina. She's on our team today and I'm keeping it that way." She drew the girl behind herself protectively. At her side the wolf lowered its head and started to growl. Now she was closer Naruto could tell that this chuunin was much older than Shifuni and maybe even a bit older than himself. The one on the stairs seemed of a similar year group.

"Sure," Shifuni panted, leaning down on her knees to stabilise herself, "But try sending her over to the kitchens will you?" She held out a fist to the wolf to sniff. It drew forward and licked the whole hand, wagging happily. Shifuni grinned.

"Why?" the hooded nose of the canine's mistress jerked upwards in surprise, staring at the other Seishin shinobi, "Our team's not on castle duty today." There was a loud patter on the stairs as the remaining chuunin hurried down to her side, clearly just as confused. She tilted her head and glared at the younger girl in a way that demanded explanation.

"Cuz they're fresh out of staff - that's why!" Shifuni sighed, rubbing her slobbered hand on her trouser leg, "Whoever _is _on castle duty isn't doing it!"

"Seriously?" the hooded girl muttered, drawing backwards against the genin she was holding captive. Said captive glared at her and snatched her arm away, moving several paces sideways.

"Seriously," Shifuni replied, straightening upright and jumping slightly as she sought a safe place to stand on the disgusting floor.

"Man, that's bad news," the first chuunin groaned, tapping her wolf nose, "It seems like nobody can stay in the right place anymore." Her real wolf spun around at the sound of her voice, looking up at her expectantly with huge yellow eyes.

"People are gonna be hungry when they get back," the princess-like one with the complicated hairstyle added, folding her arms as she glanced down at the canine, "And cold… and…" It whined loudly, lying down with its head on its paws. "Yeah, exactly," the human laughed, bending down to pat it on the head.

Its actual mistress was less impressed. "If they were doing their assigned jobs in the first place – dinner would be on the table, wouldn't it?" she muttered, folding her arms and rolling her eyes towards the ceiling. Her scowl deepened as she laid eyes on a dark fuzzy stain up there. "Seriously, why is everything such a battle today?"

"So you two don't know anything about what's happening either?" Temari put in. She strode gingerly forwards, teetering even in her flat sandals as she attempted to place as little of herself on the ground as she possibly could. Her face was contorted in a less-than-impressed expression as she positioned herself beside Shifuni, glaring at her surroundings.

Suddenly the genin's eyes bulged. She darted forwards, pushing passed her chuunin as she cannonballed into the figure beside Naruto. "Kankurou-san!" she shrieked, seizing him around the middle and virtually climbing up his shirt with enthusiasm.

"Hi… Rina-chan," he gasped, reeling backwards. He patted the girl on the head, as he vaguely recognised the little pig-tailed face as the girl who had tried to fetch him roast goose on his arrival in Seishin country. Naruto chortled loudly, as his friend tried and failed to disentangle himself from an overenthusiastic twelve year old.

Somewhere beneath the glaring face of her wolf coif, the chuunin looked up at them in surprise. "Who are you again?" She stiffened, regarding the group of foreign shinobi with a quizzical expression.

The princess-like chunnin coughed, moving in front of her. "Sorry – what my friend here means is: who the hell are you and what are doing in an area restricted to Seishin shinobi?" Her voice emerged almost as a growl, as she dug her hands in her hips as she glared at them. She positioned herself in front of the wolf-girl, staring down the other group. Naruto seemed rather taken aback and Temari raised an eyebrow. Kankurou merely groaned as Rina whimpered and hugged him tighter.

Shifuni practically laughed. "Oh please," she gasped, shaking her brown ponytails and waving her hands, "It's only Death by Genin. Hardly a 'restricted area'."

"And besides," the girl in the wolf mask added, stepping forward and tapping her friend disarmingly on the shoulder, "You've got to admire _anyone_ who'd want to come in here voluntarily." She chuckled and the princess-like girl gave her a reluctant smile.

Rina seemed less impressed with that comment. Puffing up indignantly, she squirmed against Kankurou's stomach, turning herself around and letting go for just long enough to glare at the chuunin. "You know I live here, right senpai?" she spat, eyeing her superior with indignation.

The wolf-girl merely gave her sidelong glance, shaking her head. "You don't have a choice," she replied coldly.

Rina froze, considering this idea. She glanced wearily around the corridor, working her mouth from side to side as she took in the various stains and signs of damage – or what she could see of these in the dark. Clearly the lights were long gone too. "Good point," she sighed, fiddling with one of pigtails as she regarded a wall.

Kankurou seized the moment and dived for safety behind Naruto, making the latter burst into a very 'unmanly' giggling fit. The Suna jounin glared at him and retreated behind his sister, as Rina turned around in surprise, as if wondering where he had gone. Naruto started shaking so hard he had to prop his hands on his knees just to keep from falling.

"Look, we'll be on our way in a minute," Temari put in, raising her hands and attempting to ignore her brother trying to make himself invisible behind her, "We just want to know where we can find somebody who knows what's going on!"

The girl with the complicated hairstyle raised her eyebrows, "You and me both, sister."

* * *

_**(1)**__ Le __Deuxième:_ silverwolf1213 (from TONFA), who is an amazing, supportive reviewer and rapidly turning into a very good friend, I think. She certainly deserves her place here among those honoured here for the seemingly endless encouragement I receive from her for all my work, not just this story.

Given that 'silverwolf' (despite being a very pretty penname) isn't exactly up there on the list of potential given names, I had considered naming the character Ookamiyama Ginko (Wolf-mountain Silver-child) instead, but I'm not so sure... Maybe simply Ookamigin would be better… (I _think_ that'd be the Japanese for Silver Wolf)… Otherwise she'll have to remain as 'that girl with the wolf hood on her head' forever. Perfectly plausible by the way: I did it for Naomi through three and a bit worth of chapters…

_**(2)**__ Und, zum Schluss, die Nummer Drei:_ (fanfiction-dot-net's very own) Aithre Lenore-Light. A young lady who I've not heard from for a little while now, but who was the very first person to really support me with _She Was Beautiful_. Aithre, I've not forgotten you and I just wanted to say 'thank you'.

Cameo characters: it may be corny, but I like it. That's it for now though, folks. Who knows? I may be tempted to expand Seishin's ranks again, if I meet another amazing reviewer, but for now – this is plenty. ;0)


	49. Chapter 7d

Sakura sat with her arms folded on the bed, listening to the rhythmic noises of the machines around her and the discordant snores of Shizune and Ton-Ton. Her eyes kept drooping lower and lower and she could feel herself starting to drift off into a comfortable haze. It had been a long, long shift.

First she had been summoned to help the Hokage sort out that awful emergency. It had been horrible: so much blood and no one would tell her why. It wasn't that. She had seen blood before – of course she had, in copious amounts too… It had been the look on her sensei's face: the anger – the downright fury in her eyes – directed at everyone around her… even the still body on the floor… In all the time Sakura had worked under Tsunade she had never seen her get _that_ angry at a patient before.

Shaking herself awake, she glanced up at the machines checking up on their readouts. Everything was normal: unchanged. When everything had been stabilised, they had taken that still, life-less body away – to a local hospital, she thought – and Sakura had been sent back down here into the pit rooms in the medical centre to monitor her other patient; the equally still body of the little grey child.

Rubbing her eyes again, Sakura stood up. Moving automatically, she checked on the IV drip. They would need to be changed soon. Her palm crossed the child's brow and she frowned. It was clammy again, but a least there was no fever. Autonomously she ran his other vitals, checking the colour of his eyes and lips. All was perfectly normal as far as she could tell. Fantastic. She yawned, patting the blankets around the tiny body and glancing across at the monitors. A second brief nod followed again at the sight of the displays: all fine.

Stretching slightly, she let her gaze slip around the room as she worked out the knots in her shoulder blades. Spotting Shizune, resting cramped in a tiny space between some disused machinery, a tiny smirk graced the medic ninja's lips for a second. The older woman was passed out on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs, legs akimbo and her head lolling backwards against the wall for support. Ton-ton was curled up in her lap, snuggled against the thick black fabric of Shizune's kimono dress.

No one had exactly given permission for the pig to be here, but the Hokage's good luck mascot had snuck in anyway. Veteran of many medical encampments that she was, Ton-Ton could usually find a way to make herself useful and, if not, then at least she was good company. A trotter twitched sudden in its sleeps and the pig blew out a throaty snore, smacking its lips slightly. Sakura smiled again.

The girl moved away from the bed, glancing around. There had been a stack of white cotton blankets under one of the machines in the corner and she didn't want her friend catching a cold. Moving passed several blank displays; Sakura scratched her head, frowning as she tried to remember where exactly the pile was. Carefully she pushed aside a heart-monitor, not too far along from her patient's bed, and crouched down low to check under what looked like a large defibrillator case.

Suddenly she froze, cold in her tracks. Rocking backwards on to her heels, she slowly turned her head, moving away from the machinery. She was sure she had just heard a moan; a low squeaky sound that didn't resemble Shizune or Ton-Ton. Her gaze moved over to the hospital cot. The child was sat upright, facing her, and a large pair of pale hazel eyes gazed straight in her direction.


	50. Chapter 7e

The rain had started. It was not much more than a drizzle, but the small enclosure of ninja residences glistened with the encroaching wet. Temari glanced upwards at the little area of visible sky between the towering walls. Droplets of water hit her face, making her squint as she peered into the clouds. They were a thick, tangled mess of dark grey and a long way up.

Ahead of her, she could hear her brother and their guide. She shook her head, annoyed at the tiny cold splashes against her bare arms and face, and hurried to catch up with them.

"Just through here," the girl indicated, turning so she could point as she strode on, "They've got the last building before you go back out into Seishingakure itself."

"Thanks," Kankurou nodded. They were perhaps a few houses away from Death By Genin, but it certainly didn't feel like it. The concrete housing had swallowed them up almost completely.

Space was limited in the narrow section between the outer walls of Seishingakure and the inner walls of the daimyo's castle. That tightly squeezed area had only made more cramped by the extra set of walls in the barracks enclosure, but even so the Suna shinobi got the feeling that this had been built to house many more ninja than it now did. Many of the buildings looked dusty and dilapidated as if no one had lived there for decades. Even Death by Genin appeared to have been built for many more than it could possibly need to hold now. There wasn't space enough for anything so grand as streets or housing blocks, but whole areas had fallen into serious disrepair as if no one had been living there for so long that there had been no point maintaining them.

The pebbles moved under his feet and Kankurou noticed the weeds that had crept in over time, establishing themselves when no one had the impetuous to remove them. His guide caught his elbow and he turned to look at her. She was the princess-like chuunin they had met in the genin barracks. The two remaining Seishin officers had been arguing over custody of the genin when he left them with Naruto, who had decided to head over to the medical centre to try and find Sakura. He and Temari had chosen to tag along with the remaining chuunin, who had resolved to try her luck with the jounin again instead and see if she could get a copy of the duty roster to start organizing her fellows. Apparently she hoped they might have sorted themselves out by now. Kankurou and Temari were tentatively trusting in the same. They needed to find their sibling and soon.

"That's it – up ahead," the girl jerked her head, motioning to a building not a few metres away, "The jounin common room." She straightened her flack jacket, her face falling as she took in the view. Temari sighed loudly as she came up behind them.

This building was anything but abandoned and neglected. A small concrete tower-like structure next to its own gateway, it had light streaming from every small square window. People were milling out of every entrance, arguing in raised voices. Even from where they were standing they could hear the shouting.

"We'd better go in," the young chuunin muttered, moving one of her plaits away from her face. Kankurou nodded wordlessly, taking the lead. He barely passed the threshold before he was practically bowled over by a large middle-aged man. His assailant pushed passed him, reaching for the chuunin beside the Suna shinobi, dragging her forward to his eye-level by her flak jacket.

"You!" he roared, bushy whitish eyebrows narrowing as pulled her in the house, "You! Where is my weapon? I've been waiting half-an-hour now. Have I not told you chuunin types before: go up to the Tamazaki main house and fetch my weapon! That's the famous sun sword of Tamazaki Ishida – go, you little ingrate! In my day the youngsters used to listen when you gave them orders…" He paused suddenly, glancing down at his wrist. Another hand had grasped it, firmly applying so much pressure to the joint that he lost his hold on the girl. He turned his head and found himself staring straight into the narrowed eyes of the Suna ninja. The girl stood back, wide-eyed and gasping as she pulled her jacket back into place. Temari placed a hand on her shoulder and she smiled weakly, as if trying to reassure the Suna ninja and not herself.

"If you were a half-decent shinobi your weapon wouldn't be out your reach in the first place," Kakurou growled, thrusting the offending hand back towards its owner.

"I beg your pardon?" The man glared back. He was a portly, red-faced creature with a prominent double chin and bushy white hair that no longer quite covered his whole scalp. His boots were of very shiny expensive-looking leather and the rest of him was outfitted in dark brown slack trousers and a deep burgundy top that might even have been satin. Somehow he had squeezed himself into a flak jacket that clearly no longer fitted, but even with that and an old ninja utility belt (extended with rope in a makeshift fashion) he clearly looked as if his days as an active shinobi were long behind him.

Kankurou's chuunin guide moved in front of him, glaring at the man as she spread her arms wide. "With respect, sir," she intoned, carefully positioning herself so her former assailant was forced to retreat, "This gentleman here is a Suna jounin present in Seishingakure as a guest of the daimyo..."

The man bellowed with mocking laughter. "That little half-grown scrap?" he sneered, shaking his head as his eyes shone with derision. Colour rising in his face, he turned his head failing his arms gleefully as he tried to drum up an audience. "They must be pretty desperate over in Suna, eh? Eh?" he bellowed, leering down at three of them, "You three kids think you can come in here and play shinobi. Really? Someone should show you some proper disipline."

"Why you!" Kankurou's temper snapped. His hand shot back, snatching at one of his scrolls. The only thing that stopped him from drawing it was Temari, who practically hung from his elbow in an attempt to keep him from performing an action they would both regret.

"Kankurou," she whispered, clutching tightly at her brother as he tried to shake himself free, "Please. Just let it go. He's not worth it."

"That's right, little boy," the man sniggered, waggling his eyebrows as he pointed his thick fingers and jeered, "You listen to your pretty girlfriend – before you get yourself hurt." The chuunin gasped and Kankurou growled, pushing Temari aside as he finally yanked a scroll from its holster.

Before he could use it though, another hand came down heavily on the man's shoulder, spinning him around, as he was brought face to face with a second Seishin jounin. This one looked much leaner and fitter and was fully dressed in proper shinobi black. His flack jacket was a perfect fit and the kunai in their holsters at his waist appeared to be razor sharp. "Tamazaki-san, stand down for heaven's bleeding sake!" the newcomer snapped in a gruff raspy voice, glaring at the man he attempted to pull him away, "Have you really got nothing better to do than shoot your mouth off at foreign shinobi? The boy has a point. Go fetch your own damn weapon before you turn up here barking orders at _my_ junior officers. They've got jobs to do."

The first man laughed, puffing himself up with visible anger. "I remember you, Shichirobei," he scoffed, snarling slightly as he folded his arms over his belly and drew himself up to his full height, "Where were you during the war, eh? Some half-baked little good-for-nothing managing supplies over in the back lines, that's where. I'm surprised you even know the front end of a kunai." He glowered down at him, furling his lower lip ever so slightly.

'Shichirobei' visibly sighed and let go of his shoulder. "I'm honoured to be in your recollections, Tamazaki-san," he replied, with a clearly affected calmness, as he folded his own arms, more loosely than his compatriot, "Seeing as you've not set foot in Seishingakure in the last half a decade. How are the sweet potato crops this time of year? I hear your farm's doing very well." There was a slight edge to his voice that suggested he did not want to be pushed any further. Tamazaki huffed slightly, but as his fellow jounin continued to glare he retreated away into the depths of the room.

The jounin, referred to as Shichiobei, shook his head and waved them inside with a sigh. There was a small space available near the door and Temari huddled into it, grateful to be out of the rain. Her brother stationed himself next to her, still glaring as he reluctantly re-holstered his scroll.

Whatever else you could say about Seishingakure's jounin common area, it had not been intended as a general strategy room. They could catch glimpses of a few ragged cotton sofas dotted around the walls and a heavily worn-out carpet over the floor. Rotas and general notices hung where pictures might have gone and an entire side of the room had been given over to wooden pigeonholes for non-urgent messages and summons. A couple of lonely football tables _**(1)**_ hogged the space under the bare light bulb and a coffee machine and kettle squatted on a shelf in a corner. There was no way anyone had intended to allow fifty odd human beings to take over this tiny, humble space and start yelling and screaming at each other, knocking over furniture and bumping into their fellows, as each one attempted to be heard over the continuous cacophony.

Before the man could speak, their chunnin guide turned to the jounin who had ended the argument, tapping him on the elbow. He bowed low enough to hear what she was saying, before rolling his eyes and sending her off in vague direction of some charts on the wall. The jounin was a well-built man in his thirties, but his thick curly beard and neatly trimmed hair had already turned grey. His jaw was square and his bone structure was heavily pronounced, so that his cheekbones and eyebrows sat forward on his face without the need for further emphasis. There was a vertical scar on one side of his chin, were he had obviously once sustained an injury at some long distant point in the past. His hands and skin were heavily tanned from active duty, but his thick knuckles and finger joints were noticeably darker, making them look slightly dirty.

"Sorry about that," the jounin muttered and rocked backwards on the heels of his feet, eyeing the two Suna envoys carefully as he did so. He kept close enough so they could actually hear him against the roar of background noise. "First we get _these_ idiots turning up spouting all kinds of hell and then our young shinobi turn out to be so used to peace: that the whole world happily goes bananas around them and they're still worried about job rosters and who's on dinner duty." He sighed, straightening up and rubbing his scalp with a free hand. "Still they're good enough. At least they're thinking, you know? Trying to sort things out. Not like the rest of these morons. Couldn't find their rear end with a compass and a map and I've been stuck managing _them_ all bleeding day." Kankurou smiled sympathetically and the jounin replied with an appreciative nod. His mouth worked in agitation and he kept his hands behind him as he spoke, one hand clasped loosely around its opposing elbow. "Honestly," he confided, sighing and rolling his eyes, "You'd think they'd never been to war. They just turn up here, flash a few family names and old stories and imagine they can tell the rest of us what to do – and those are just the jounin. I've got chuunin and genin no one's seen in years – in here of all places – and half of them won't even listen to anyone but senior members of their own households. As if we work like that… Anyway – what can I help you with? Kankurou-san, was it? And you'd be...?"

"Temari," she cut in, as her sibling smirked beside her, "We're looking for our brother, the Kazekage. He never returned from the meeting last night. We're trying to establish what happened." Temari glared as she finished, leaning back against the wall. She raised a foot, pressing it backwards at mid-shin level as if for an easy get-away. Her arms were folded and her face stern.

In front of them, the jounin's eyes widened in alarm. "Oh… bleeding…! You're serious?" He ran both hands over his hair, groaning slightly as he did so.

"Obviously." Kankurou replied, growing serious in an instant. His expression hardened under his lines of purple warpaint and he stood, near his sister, regarding the man coolly through narrowed eyes.

"Well, which rumour would you like?" the jounin muttered, shaking his head as he lowered is arms back to his sides. He scowled with dissatisfaction, as he thoughtfully examined the ceiling over their heads, "I've got nothing else. I heard everything from how the meeting was overrun by suspicious foreign enemies, to an invasion from Granite, to the five Kage launching a coup d'état and slaughtering the daimyo and the hime…"

Temari raised an eyebrow, "That's highly unlikely."

The jounin nodded, clicking his teeth. "You're telling me," he murmured, folding his arms in front of himself this time, "I can't see anyone slaughtering _anyone_ with the hime on watch. Now there's a girl with a decent fire in her belly. I doubt even the five Kage combined could take her down." He straightened slightly, the line of his mouth hardening further as his frown deepened. "Still something must have happened to her. She'd never allow this kind of a mess. There'll be hell to pay when she's back, I can tell you."

"You don't think she's dead then?" Kankurou inquired, straightening slightly. He tilted his head, chewing on his lip as he narrowed his eyes again in thought.

"Hah," the jounin practically laughed, "No, not her. You've never seen her fight, have you? Not up close. I don't think that you actually _can_ kill a demon." He rubbed a hand over his head, a tense expression overtaking him.

"So, to cut a long story short," Temari interrupted, frowning, "You don't know anything either?" She kicked off from the wall, straightening, as if getting ready to leave.

The man shook his head. "Not a whisper. I'm sorry," he breathed. A long sigh followed that statement and scratched his nose awkwardly and glanced upwards at the ceiling, as he seemed to work up the resolve to make another suggestion. "I hate to say it, I really do," he began, "But – at this point – I'd say your best bet would be the daimyo himself. If the hime really is out of action, then authority of Seishingakure automatically reverts back to him. I'll take you to him."

He gestured as if for them to follow, but didn't realy wait for a response. As Temari and Kankurou straightened, he turned around, eyeing the crowd behind him. "Right then, you lot," he declared, waving an arm in dismissal, "I'm off. Try not to tear the place down while I'm gone." He pushed his way towards the door, attempting to usher the Suna shinobi before him.

They never got there. The outrage was immediate and very vocal. A thin-lipped woman snatched his collar and others turned attempting to bar his way. "Now see here, Shichirobei-san!" she cried, bringing her face close to his, "You can't just leave! What about my…?"

"Watch me, you old tart," the jounin grunted, pushing her away and turning towards the door, "Some of us have got some real work to be getting on with." He attempted to push Kankurou and Temari forward, so they could leave.

The statement had simply made things worse. Indignation poured at them in bucket loads and bodies pressed in on them, limbs flailing, as a room full of people all screamed for attention at the same time. The woman from before was practically bawling in indignation. As he was pressed backwards against the wall, Kankurou got the distinct impression that the jounin was enjoying himself.

Then, out of the blue, the door burst open. The bang reverberated around the room and the jounin reeled backwards in alarm, taking the rest of the crowd with him, as a figure barged in and a woman's voice screamed, "Shut up, the lot of you! I'm bringing orders from the daimyo."

"And who are you when you're at home?" snapped a disgruntled character near the front.

Briefly Temari caught a glimpse of long blonde hair. "Galileo Yurika. Jounin."

* * *

_**(1)**__ US term:_ foosball table


	51. Chapter 7f

The pale curtains fluttered in the breeze from the open window, as down on the streets below Seishin city roared with tumultuous life, even in the rain. Street vendors hawked their goods from every small niche and crevice between the clustering houses, carts rattled and oxen grunted and lowed, mules brayed and children yelled as they chased each other down the dirty pavements. People called, waving and shouting to one another from across the narrow cobble-lined streets. Men in short overalls and headscarves brandished brooms as they swept the front of their shops and houses. Women dragged lines of linens and mended clothes in through their windows or marched headlong through traffic with large wicker baskets and a whirlwind of tumbling patchwork skirts and kimono. The smell of cattle, of vegetables, of rotting fruit, of freshly baked produce, of people, of animals, of goods: everything assaulted the nose in droves and waves of pungent exaltation. Every gust, flurry and breath of air rattled against the panes. It was all vibrant, exuberant, alive, as the throng of mere civilian life teemed and pooled far beyond the closed walls of the hidden city – and yet inside the room everything was dead and quiet.

Gaara stood by the open hospital window and took in the sights, simply for the sake of not having to see the woman on the bed behind him. Tsunade had stifled the bleeding and rebound flesh and reknitted tissue in a feat that would have been beyond any normal doctor; beyond most normal medic ninja at that point. A slit throat can bleed out in less than a minute. Another few seconds and that life on the hospital bed would have been finished.

The Kazekage traced his fingers through the flimsy fabric of the curtains, running his thumb over his fingertips with faded material between them and closed his eyes, feeling the weight of his own body on his feet and the chilly breeze in the air as it glanced against the fine layer of sand on his skin. He shivered, turning away from the pane and letting the curtain fall into place. His gaze fell on the woman on the bed and he glanced away again.

It was such a bare room. Hard linoleum coated the floors and thick white paint lined the walls and ceiling. An unsheathed lamp flickered beside the bed, turning itself on and off at irregular intervals. There were two stark hospital beds with thin uncomfortable mattresses and crisp over-bleached linen, but the only occupant did not look as if she would have been aware of it even had they laid her out on the floor. A few monitors hovered around the patient, wheeled in on tray tables and whirring softly in the background as their tendril-like cables probed the still form for continuing signs of life. Occasionally some machine let out a shrill beep.

There was an IV drip snaking down from a thin metal stand towards a skinny white arm laid prone out on the sheets. A second bag, hung from the same place, was drip-feeding a slow supply of red oxygenated blood into the limb. It didn't seem help the blank whiteness of the skin. Anymore than the oxygen tubing and mask appeared to be doing much besides decorating the ashen face, but Tsunade was apparently satisfied that her patient was breathing and circulating, albeit barely.

A couple of chairs, literally two, dotted about the room. Both hard injection-moulded things, designed to minimise both cost and comfort. One of them was already wobbly.

The other held the Mizukage. The long sleeves of her cobalt blue dress trailed over her crossed knees as she sat with her head resting on her hands, her skin flushed with sleep deprivation. She hadn't moved, even though the Tsuchi- and Raikage had long since retired back to their rooms in the daimyo's castle. Something seemed to be keeping her where she was. Her head was tilted slightly, auburn locks flowing over her shoulders, as she listened to a row continuing just outside the door.

"So why the hell can't I see her?" the tone was angry and most definitely male, "What the hell did that bastard do to her this time?"

"I didn't say you can't see her," Tsunade's voice was layered with exhaustion. She had found herself forced to expend a lot of chakra after all and had been working most of the night, "Just let me…"

"For crying out loud! She's my sister! What the hell happened? Why won't anybody tell me anything?"

"Oh for…" Tsunade grunted. Something made a loud smacking noise as she evidently lost to frustration, "You know what? Just go in – over there. We'll deal with this later. Just go. Go see your sister. Go."

The door slammed open and Ren stormed into the room, glancing around wildly until he spotted the bed. Like a neglected fire, his anger spluttered and died, draining from his features. His face fell. His brows contracted. His cheekbones lifted around his eyes as his jaw went slack and his forehead furrowed. Stiffening, he raised a single hand, holding it out in midair. His eyes widening as if he could not quite process what he was seeing.

"What the hell?" his fist slammed back down into his side. He was still dressed in his ninja gear: the standard three-quarter length black tops and trousers and blackish brown flak jacket seeming strangely out of place in the civilian environment. "How the hell do you go from a peaceful conference between allies to something like this?" he demanded, drawing closer to the bed, leaning over the woman, careful to avoid disturbing the cables. He reached out and stroked a stray strand of messy grey-brown hair from her face, holding it between his fingers before he let it fall behind her ear. "When I left her… She was fine. I know she was. She had no military duties to attend to. I made sure she… What the hell happened? I just did a routine patrol, finished my shift and when I come back… What the hell has that bastard done to my sister?" His voice grew louder with the last few sentences and he shook slightly as he leaned over the bed. Straightening up his angry gaze swept the other occupants. Gaara glanced back out of the window, fingering the curtain again.

"Which bastard?" the Mizukage asked lightly, sitting up in her chair as Tsunade tumbled into the room. The Hokage closed the door, hauling herself across to the spare chair and plunging into it without a care, even as it rocked with the weight of her prone body. The green of her haori spilled over the white plastic, but Tsunade didn't seem to notice that either as she twisted in her seat, propping up her head with one hand as she virtually slumped against the armrest. A thin blonde pigtail curled around her neck, and she massaged her temples with the hand she was leaning on, breathing deeply with exhaustion. She didn't even seem to notice the way her breasts bulged forward through the thin fabric of her kimono-top.

The Mizukage shot her a sympathetic sidelong glance, pushing one long strand of auburn hair back into place as it tried to fall forward over her eyes from the motion. Her slight smile barely faltered as she repeated her question.

"Who do you think?" Ren snapped irritably, glancing tetchily at her as he settled himself on the edge of the bed. He lifted one of his sister's hands into both of his, cradling it gently as he traced the unfamiliar blood oxygen monitor on her index finger. "The only bastard who outranks her. The only bastard who could possibly get her do something as crazy as this – that's who!" He growled, tightening his grip and lifting the hand against his brow.

Tsunade glanced up, her eyes skimming from the Mizukage to the young man and back again. "You mean the daimyo?" Something in Gaara's shoulders tensed.

"Yeah… him," Ren grunted, with audible anger. He put the hand back down again, but kept both of his own locked around her fingers on the bed. "That crazy lunatic we've got in charge of us. Who else?"

"You don't sound very…" the Mizuage paused, diplomatically searching for the right word, "'Enthusiastic' about him."

"No." Although they could only see his back, Ren's expression was painfully obvious in the way he suddenly tensed. "No, I don't, do I?" he spat, hissing as he spoke. Hysteria tinged his voice and his shoulders were shaking, "Might have something to do with the fact that I'm the older brother of 'Pawn Number 1' in his twisted little power games."

"What does Nao… What does the hime make of him?" Gaara phrased the question without turning around, stumbling slightly over the woman's name. He stared fixedly out of the window, one hand gripping the frame. His knuckles were turning white.

"Damned if I know," Ren muttered. His breathing became louder, more forceful, and very irregular. He leaned over the bed again, apparently engrossed in brushing a strand of hair from his sister's face. His fingers seemed to be trembling as he performed the action and when he spoke again his voice sounded slightly cracked. "She'll follow every word he says, do anything he asks of her, anything. Anything if it's for this cursed country of ours." His other hand remained over his sister's and he sat back upright with a jolt, staring fixedly at the ceiling. "They tell me it's down on her combat records that she's never disobeyed an order, never failed a mission…" he murmured and shook his head, tightening his grip over her fingers, "Damned if I know whether that's true or not."

Tsunade stiffened as she watched him. She rose to her feet, exchanging a glance with the Mizukage, and tentatively took a few steps towards the bed, clearing her throat. Ren made no response.

"She's… sustained a severe injury on her neck," the Hokage began, fumbling over the words. She folded her arms and sighed, closing her eyes. Gaara turned himself flatly in line with the window. His body became tense as he pretended not to be listening. "It was a very clean cut," she went on, her confidence returning with the weight of her own professionalism, "No damage to her larynx or most of the other surrounding structures, just her trachea and a slight nick to one of the veins. I managed to close the wound, and mend it, but there is still the blood loss. She'll need time to…"

Ren stood up. "He made her do it?" His shoulders had stopped shaking. The tone of his voice had hardened as he looked down at his sister.

Tsunade glanced uncertainly at the Mizukage before she answered. "Yes."

"Just like him," Ren sighed, staring up at the ceiling, "I wonder what stupid point he was trying to prove this time. Probably something about Seishin ninja being obedient and loyal and fearless to the last degree… It would be just like him to try and ram that one down the five Kages' faces with a dramatic show." He ground out the words, shaking his head as folded his arms tightly against his chest. Ire laced itself back through his tone the longer he spoke and the Mizukage and Hokage exchanged uncomfortable glances. "Poor sod," he muttered, still staring at his sister, "She probably knew what he was doing and what he was trying to prove, better than anyone, but couldn't raise a finger to object whether she agreed with him or not."

The Mizukage straightened, raising her eyebrows as she regarded him. "Do you disagree then?"

It took Ren several minutes to answer. He tossed his head back slightly, shaking it from side to side and his fingers tensed as he seemed to fight for the right words. Finally he took a deep breath, releasing it loudly as he focused again on his sibling on the bed. "I'd agree that if we are loyal and fearless and whatever as all that, then we don't deserve to be treated like this for it," he finally suggested, among a mist of words he could not utter, "She'd never say that though. Whatever she thought, she never said it."

Despite himself, Gaara turned his head slightly to look at the Seishin ninja. He looked unusually flushed and his face had grown red. Gaara watched in fascination as the man picked up his sister's lifeless hand again, sitting down on the bed as he had before and pressing the hand gently to his face.

"She told me once he was a man she respected more than anything." Gaara froze. The words had left his mouth before he even knew it. Slightly embarrassed, he nearly turned away, but Ren had already raised his head and was staring straight at him.

A small sad smile graced the man's lips and he pressed the hand tightly to his heart. "The saddest thing is she probably does," he whispered, his voice slightly horse, "He loves this country more than the air he damn well breathes – just like her. I'm not saying he's not a good leader. Dammit. The crazy bastard probably is, but I just wish… my sister…" He pressed the hand to his face again, pouring his words into it as he held back sobs. "She's my only family, you know? Yurika and her… That's all I've got."

Gaara shrank a little against the window, staring at his feet. Tsunade shook her head compassionately and returned to her chair, propping her head on one hand as she settled into it. Clearly she was still exhausted. Nobody said anything more, but the hum of machinery whirred softly in the background and noise trickled in from the busy streets outside, disturbing the silence that permeated the room. The slight smell of hospital drifted around them, mixing with the rife tang from outside until it made an almost unbearable combination. Struggling to stay awake, the Hokage's head started to dip slightly.

Then the Mizukage got to her feet, crossing the room to join the vigil by the patient's bedside. She glanced down at the still form on the bed, across at the monitors and back again, as if searching for something that wasn't there. "It's so strange seeing her lying there like that," she finally confessed, rubbing one hand against the deep blue fabric of her upper arm. She glanced at Ren. "Even in Kirigakure the Seishin no Bakemono is a legend. They talk of her as an invincible monster that's summoned by Fate to guard Seishin. All the young kunoichi dream of becoming as strong as her one day – even though most of them have nightmares about her at night."

Ren dropped his sister's hand, growling slightly as he spun around to face the wall. "That'd be her god-damn former sensei talking, wouldn't it!" he snapped, his back to the Mizukage and his hands on his lap.

"Pardon?" She stiffened in alarm, staring at his sudden change in aptitude. The Hokage straightened in her chair, equally taken aback.

"Her sensei started that kind of crap talk when she was a kid," Ren snarled, still not facing them. Speaking to his knees, he choked out each word, too incensed to articulate clearly. "Especially in front of our parents. You got told about Masaru-sensei at the meeting, I presume?" Ren grunted, spitting the words in disgust. The fabric of his trousers rustled as he clenched his fists, "Right nasty piece of work he was. He'd go on and on about how she was some kind of natural killer, how ruthless she was, how bloodthirsty, how vicious, how cruel…" Gaara stiffened. His pale turquoise eyes were suddenly widening. The Mizukage appeared a little ill.

"He kept repeating it over and over until people started believing him," Ren went on, obvious to everything as the words streamed from him in a furious oral torrent, "Even my parents. Nobody was ever allowed to see her training, so how did they know whether she had some kind of special killer instinct? Whether she really tore up small animals in her exercises? If she'd grin and laugh as they died? Whether she danced and played covered in their blood?" He chocked on the words, punching his own leg as he forced himself to continue despite the cracking sobs in his voice. Gaara felt his own breathing start to race and gripped the window frame in front of him for dear life.

"He'd never let anyone see what really happened and, to make it worse, he'd tell people he was keeping them away for their own safety," Ren gasped, but the bitter leering in his voice increased, "_Don't want the little mind-reader in your head, do you? Not when she's doing stuff like that…_" The Mizukage took several steps away from the bed, staring at the younger shinobi as he spoke. Ren didn't notice. "And then word got round that she was a prodigy ninja, trained as an assassin…" Gaara found himself starting to shake. The beeping from the machines had started to increase and Tsunade glanced up in alarm.

"People started giving her a wide berth in the street, calling her names in whispered voices," Ren seethed, his fists clenching again as he leant forward, "The other mothers stopped letting their kids play with her – heck, _our_ mother stopped letting _us_ play with her – her own brothers no less." Gaara felt himself stumble away from the window. He stared helplessly at the other man, each fresh word thundering straight through him down into his core.

He could see him, sat on the bed, half-turned, with his face gazing at his sister. Years of anger and disgust poured off him, spilling out into the room. Each word he spoke seemed to be drawn from wounds deep in his soul. The Mizukage glanced at the Hokage, but she was merely listening as he vented. His eyes narrowed as she regarded the shinobi and her patient in the bed.

"She was always alone," Ren whispered and now Gaara could see the tears on his face, "It was just her and that bastard of a sensei… all the friggin' time… and my mother, everywhere she went, she always apologised about her 'awful daughter'. Told people she was a freak of nature, some kind of monstrous misfit – that she wasn't really her child."

A hand shot upwards snatching at Ren's arm. "Sh-t uh…"

"What?" the young man stared at it, balking, before he realised what was happening. His eyes fixed on those of his sister, wide-awake and staring at him. "Hey, are you…?"

"Shut uh…" she hissed again, forcing the words through her ruined throat. Her eyes squinted with the effort.

Tsunade hurried towards the bed, pushing the Mizukage out of the way as she took over her patient's other side. "Hime-sama, you really shouldn't be talking."

Naomi ignored her. Her shoulders shaking as she tried to lift herself from the bed, she shook her brother's arm viciously, still trying to form words. "Shut up about O'Kaa…"

Ren snorted, looking away in brooding derision. "Humph, like she deser…"

"_Shut up!_" Naomi's fists thundered into his chest as she sprang forward, slamming against him.


	52. Chapter 7g

"You know… I have a friend with a dog," Naruto put in, hurrying to catch up with his companion. He bounded over a partition wall, skidding slightly on the wet slate, as they made their way across Seishingakure to the medical centre.

"Really," she sighed, barely looking up as she skimmed over a low rooftop.

"Yeah, it's like this big white thingy," he spread his arms wide as he explained, instinctively dodging the part where the ground dropped away, "Proper ninja dog – you know? Can do this thing were it changes colour and then they whirl around and stuff…"

"Fascinating." The girl stopped in her tracks for about two seconds, closing her eyes. The elongated cappuccino-coloured flaps of her coif fluttered slightly against her face, standing out against the rich dark, almost black, coffee of her long hair. Outside of the gloom in Death by Genin, even in the rain, she looked a much more vibrant person with deeply tanned skin and a healthy glow. It was just her eyes that were mysterious, obscured as they were by the heavy shadows of her hood.

Her canine companion paused beside her, loyally bumping its snout against her fingers. She scratched its ear absently, ruffling the bristles of its sleek coat. It was a strange mongrel mix of colours, various shades of charcoal mixed with soft caramel and russet, but its jet black eyes were bright and shiny and it panted happily with an air that was actually downright friendly.

The girl spoke and continued onwards without looking at Naruto. The argument in Death by Genin had not ended well and she had been in a sour mood ever since. For one thing, Shifuni had won. For another, Rina was now helping the younger chunnin and not the one with the wolf hood. For a third, the one with the wolf coif was now escorting Naruto. She looked just about ready to kill someone – and the blonde Konoha shinobi was steadily making himself top of the list.

"My sensei has a whole pack of dogs too," Naruto persisted, drawing up beside her. He waggled his fingers, jumping backwards through a tiny crack in between two stone buildings, as he tried to explain. "He summons them to sniff things out." He fell two stories and landed neatly in a small alleyway, still beaming up at the girl.

"Good for him," she sighed, barely even acknowledging the boy as she made contact precisely four steps away from him. The canine yowled, backing away from the hole. She sighed in response, clicking her tongue and patting her knees in a coaxing manner. It lay down and put a paw over its eyes.

It was a sharp drop between the two stone buildings, crenulated granite towering on either side. A solitary walkway wound its way through the breach and the irregular walls didn't allow for a clean descent either. It had to be calculated if you didn't want to end up as a morbid decoration on the corner of some low-level roof or wooden beam. Still it was nothing to a shinobi, even a very young genin, and it should have been nothing to a shinobi's companion as well.

She tried again, whistling this time, and the canine backed still further away. It was nearly out of sight when she completely lost her temper and growled up at it. Stopping, the animal pushed its nose over the edge of the drop and whined uncomfortably at her. She folded her arms, glaring. It chased its tail indecisively and then, after a couple of spins to work up its courage, leapt headlong from the ledge. Landing neatly and safely beside its mistress, it glanced expectantly up at her, wagging its tail.

"We have a lot of dogs in Konoha really," Naruto threw in, conversationally, "Lots of people use them in various jutsu. They're really useful." He watched his pair of guides and smiled slightly, his hands clasped behind his back, as he saw the clear affection between the animal and its mistress.

"Fantastic," the girl breathed, rubbing the back of a hand over her hooded forehead. She knelt drown onto the irregular flagstones, scratching her pet behind its ears, and Naruto got the impression she wasn't even talking about what he had just said.

He rolled his eyes and shrugged, finally giving up. "Well, I just thought you might be interested," he muttered, turning away and kicking a stone into the crenulated stone arch of a doorway, "Cuz you, you know, have a dog too and stuff..."

Suddenly the girl spun around. Leaping up, she grabbed Naruto by his collar and brought the nose of her hood inches from his face. "She's a wolf," she hissed, glaring at him in the gloom of the dingy little side street. Something flashed deep within the shadows of her hood and Naruto was convinced he saw a slight silver sparkle.

The wolf whined loudly, pawing the ground beside its mistress's feet. Rigid with surprise, Naruto felt even more of it when she gruffly released him, turning away and patting the canine on the head, as she continued in the direction of the medical centre. He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, grinning weakly. "Well, that's kinda like a dog," he muttered, fidgeting on the spot, "I mean dogs are descended from wolves…"

She visibly growled. "And you're descended from a monkey," she informed him, glancing over her shoulder to where he stood among the ornate but dilapidated archways and once beautifully decorated balconies, "What's your point?"

"Well, I mean, um…" Naruto took a step backwards, rubbing his ear. The wolf had not followed its mistress either and, from its seat on the ramshackle paving, it glanced up at him with a curious expression. Its tail thumped the ground beside Naruto, apparently oblivious to the entire conversation.

The girl folded her arms, facing him again with a scowl visible from the inside of her coif. "Dogs and wolves. Monkeys and you. Different things," she snapped, seemly at both of them.

"Got it." Naruto nodded, holding up his hands in defeat.

"Good." Gesturing slightly, she turned away, jumping up onto a nearly concealed platform and out through a tiny alley, which he already recognised as the one leading to the medical centre just a few doors up ahead.

He fell into step beside her. "Okay…" he sighed, putting his hands behind his head, as endless stone towered up around them. The wolf circled around them both, tail wagging madly. In the distance Naruto could just make out the corner of the modern bunker building, painted in a navy blue, which was the only part of the medical centre visible above ground. Even then, the dark coating helped keep the shadows shrouded around it, like a deeply bonded veil around the whole structure.

Naruto sighed, making the chunnin pause. The hood's wolf nose turned slightly as she observed him though the corner of her eye. "What?"

The boy shook his head, trudging along the worn cobbles with his hands still firmly planted behind his head. "Nothing." The wolf ran on ahead of them, circling back every five minutes to check were they were.

Its mistress stopped. Growling beneath her hood, she folded her arms again as her demeanour once again turned dangerous. "_What?_" They were just outside the medical centre now. It was mere steps away.

The Konoha shinobi tilted his head slyly. "Do you still need to take it for walks and stuff?" he inquired, glancing down at the wolf. It returned the gaze, a full wide-eyed innocent puppy-dog gawk.

Wrenching at the handle, its mistress flung the door to the medical centre open wide, glaring at him. "Get in!"

Naruto wasn't listening. His eyes were fixed on the portal she had opened: the first of a double layer of doors that gave entry into the medical centre. The one the girl had so helpfully released was solid fortified steel. The second however was a more delicate affair of clean steel angles and frosted glass. Something behind the swirling design made Naruto start. He hurled himself forward, barging though shoulder first. It jerked open. The foggy reinforced glass rattling in its pains.

"Kakashi-sensei!" he screamed, reaching for his weapons. Green smoke: it was everywhere. Thick tendrils sneaked up through the observation bay, coating the rows of benches. Waves of it splashed over the tables, where Naruto had sat with Naomi just the day before, turning the blue décor green. Kasashi stood right in the middle of it all, attempting to balance on the back of several seats. Thick green smoke had almost enveloped him. He wrestled an arm free, weaving hand signs as he fought the smoke. Even as Naruto hurried forward, water burst through from Kakashi's body, blasting the constricting force away from him. He coughed, collapsing onto his knees.

His student picked himself off the floor where the water had landed him. Naruto shook droplets from his sleeves as he staggered forwards. Gasping and winded from the unexpected bow, he struggled down the aisle towards his former instructor. "Kakashi-sensei!"

The masked man looked up, spying the mop of blonde hair. "Naruto," he breathed, clinging onto the leather-like padding of the surrounding seats as he strove for breath, "Sakura. Go! She's still downstairs…" He shook the remaining traces of liquid from his eyes, squinting as he tried to see.

Naruto scrambled to a halt, staring at his teacher as the words sunk in. He glanced at the large glass screen and balked. It was thick with green. Not an inch of glass was clear.

Sprinting over the seating, Naruto leapt towards the door that led downwards, scrambling to get it open. Almost as soon as he twisted the handle, it hit him. The wailing thundered out of the opening, cutting its way through his skull. Clamping his hands over his ears, he forced himself onwards and stumbled down the narrow, white clinical-looking staircase that led into the medical pit.

The wailing redoubled as he staggered down the steps, hunched over from the ringing in his ears. He swayed slightly, but then felt a pressure against his shin. Glancing down, he saw the wolf pressed up against him, clearly in as much pain as the human.

"Come on," a hand seized the fabric on his shoulder, pulling him onwards. Wincing he saw the Seishin chunnin shaking slightly as she guided him down the stairs. Her hand remained clasped against his shoulder and he noticed it was quite pale. Both she and the wolf were suffering more from the noise than he was. He guessed it was because they were both gifted with superior hearing.

Taking her trembling hand from his shoulder he pushed open the door. He squeezed it slightly as he let go. "You've done well," he whispered.

"Heh, don't we have people to save?" came the snarled response.

He never had time to reply. Thick green smoke poured out of the room, nearly enveloping them as it cascaded through the door. Reaching for the power of his bijuu occupant, Naruto turned a glowing golden colour and grabbed the girl's flak jacket, yanking her behind him. She staggered into the small of his back, snatching at his clothing as she tried to remain stable. Even with his arm painfully twisted, Naruto tightened his hold on her and braced himself.

The wolf howled in agony, pawing at its eyes. The world around them turned a thick, bitter acid green. Each breath became a desperate gasp. There was little oxygen and nasty sulphuric taste in its stead. Their noses burnt and their eyes watered, but Naruto pushed himself forward through the smog. The girl and her wolf followed clumsily behind him.

"Sakura," he tried to call, flailing blindly as he tried to see. It was a mistake. Thick smoke plunged into his mouth with the first syllable. He gasped, choking as it filled his lungs. "Sakura," he tried again, but it merely gave the smoke more access. His companion grabbed his shoulders as he fell to his knees. She shook him, trying to free his breathing and waved her hand over his mouth to try and clear the smoke. It was no avail. The gold flickered and died. Naruto's eyes rolled back in his head and he gagged and heaved as his body fought against the invasion. He was losing the battle for air.

Shaking, he raised a single hand. "_Rasengan_." Blue chakra pulsed in his hand, spinning into life. It worked. Like a propeller under water, the swirling force cut into the smoke's natural currents, overriding them and driving them back on themselves. Instantly the smoke cleared as the spiralling might dragged the remains of the smoke from his lungs.

Green still spinning around them, Naruto collapsed against the chuunin's chest, spluttering as he suddenly started to breathe. Exhausted tears leaked from his eyes. The chunnin rubbed slow circles on his back, petting him like a baby.

The wolf snarled, deep in its throat. It was a low noise, audible only because the earlier screams had quietened to only a miserable whimpering. Naruto frowned. His head snapped up and he gently pushed the girl away, absently letting her find her feet. His eyes strained as he tried to peer through the green fog. Just there, he was sure of it.

"_Rasengan!_" Generating another spinning ball, he dived forwards. Slicing though the green mist, he catapulted himself into the air, twisting into a somersault. His foot caught on something solid and he found himself crashing to the floor.

"Ouch." Grabbing his ankle, he looked up. It had been a solid, metal… _Yes, there_. The railing that made up the foot of the bed; that had been what hit him.

A loud bark rang through the room. Naruto could hear hurried footsteps behind him. His companion was trying to keep up. The smoke shifted and he glanced upwards. There, hovering over the bed, the grey child hung suspended in mid air. Green smoke flitted over its hospital gown and coiled around its belly. Overlong fingers waved through the air as it pulsed, producing yet more smoke with each movement. As Naruto watched, it threw its head back and wailed.


	53. Chapter 7h

Gaara glanced up as Ren re-entered the kitchen. The man nodded briefly at him, catching his hand on the low-hung rafters and hopping up over the ramp from the lower part of the house, in what was clearly more of a long standing habit than any display of jubilance.

"How is she?" Gaara inquired, his arms folded on the table. The thick fibres of the large crochet doily were discernable even through his robes. It provided a loose cover for the ornately detailed tablecloth spread out over the rough-hewn wood in front of him. In the five minutes he had been left alone he had already identified seventeen different types of birds and fruit colourfully depicted in the symmetrical patterns. A lot of the blossoming flowers though were downright beyond him though. He assumed they were native to the islands of Seishin.

"Still out cold from the sedative," the older man replied, holding a hand over his mouth as he stretched and yawned, "Sleeping like a baby. Figure she's got a little longer before it wears off." He glanced across towards the kitchen cabinets. They were a garishly pink affair accentuated nicely by the lime green check of the curtains in the window just above them. It was raining quite heavily outside. "I'm making a cup of tea. You want one?"

Gaara nodded quietly. Ren smiled, slapping his hand down on a battered magenta-coloured worktop. He knelt and began rooting around in various drawers and cupboards. One hand emerged back into view, waving a small box of woven bamboo up in the air over the kitchen island units.

"Bancha green, okay?" he inquired, peaking over a worktop, as something clattered on the rough wooden floor, "It's that or our local speciality Seishin tea, which is something of an acquired taste."

Gaara eyed him carefully, sitting back in his chair as he considered the question. He regarded the box in Ren's hand and frowned. "What are you having?"

The jounin rose slightly higher so that his face was more easily visible over the counter. "Seishin," he offered mildly.

"Then I'll have the same," Gaara replied, laying his hands down flat on the tabletop.

"You sure?" Ren stood up fully. His brows were raised and his mouth twisted into a disbelieving smile, "It's bitter. _Really_ bitter."

Gaara nodded in satisfaction. "That's fine."

Ren rolled his eyes, tossing the box up in the air with one hand and then catching it again. "Okay then," he sighed, placing the ornate little gift-box down on the counter, "Whatever you like, Kazekage-sama." He turned away, unhooking a small saucepan from one of the rafters and filled it with water from the tap. Placing that upon the stove, he grabbed a slender little lighter and flicked on the gas, coaxing a tiny flame into licking at the bottom of the pan.

"There's still time to change your mind, you know?" he added, glancing over to the large table wedged into the corner of the small cabin room.

Gaara shook his head, remaining otherwise motionless on the delicately patterned upholstery of the bench. "It's fine. Really."

"If you're sure," Ren replied, raising his eyes again. He reached over to a battered tin in the corner of the galley kitchen, twisting the lid from it. Grabbing a small spoon from inside the dented metal, he heaped a generous amount of a dried twig-like substance into the pan, making an awful clanking noise as he rattled the spoon around the water an attempt to stir. His hand hovered over the pot for a few minutes, even after he had put away the tin.

"You use Chakra to brew your tea?" Gaara inquired in disbelief. He straightened as he peered over, passed the kitchen island and its overhanging beam, to where Ren stood over the tiny old-fashioned stove in the ragged-looking diminutive kitchen. The chipboard had seen better days, but someone had nevertheless gone to the effort to paint it in that hideous colour. The one wall made of stone, unique in the otherwise wooden cabin, also held a slightly cracked ceramic sink and a very old-fashioned refrigerator. A few pot and pans hung from the rafters and a set of battered and darkened utensils sat near the stove. It was all immaculately clean though, without so much as a speck of dust in sight anywhere. The worktops showed signs of constant heavy scrubbing and a stack of freshly laundered tea towels_**(1)**_ sat near a pair of clean oven gloves in the corner.

Ren laughed, smirking slightly as he moved his hand in circles over the water. "Would you rather wait?" he replied, pulling it away as he glanced back over his shoulder, "We don't have a kettle, so this is the fastest way." He grabbed two mugs, in different designs of polka dot pink, from an overhead cupboard and poured the finished tea into them through a small sieve. A thick fragrant steam wafted up from the cheap clay tableware and even from where he sat Gaara caught a whiff of a strong wooden aroma mixed with a slight hint of cinnamon.

The jounin nodded in satisfaction, turning off the stove and leaving the sieve to stain the worktop. He grabbed the two mugs by the handles, carefully balancing them as he carried them across the room.

"Here," he declared, setting one down in front of Gaara, as he plunged onto a stool opposite the Kazekage, "Healthy stuff, I'll have you know, our special local tea. It's got some of our native root vegetables in it to thicken the concoction. Same with the local bread round here if you've ever tasted that, which I doubt you have. Dry, bitter and widely considered disgusting: we almost never serve it to guests at the castle." He grimaced and reached over to an ornamental tray set out on the centre of the table. It contained a strange variety of condiments, which Gaara had already glanced over in the time he had spent sitting at this table.

There was a very small jar of a very gritty-looking black jam, some bean-paste, a thimble-sized set of salt and pepper shakers, a large jar of a thick dark woodland honey and a square brown bottle which the Kazekage judged to contain some kind of strong spirit. Ren selected the honey, which he spooned into his tea with relish and then pushed towards Gaara, and then the older man took up the dark bottle. Measuring out a tiny amount in the cap, he flourished with his hand carefully poured a small amount of a viscous amber liquid into his mug, stirring happily with the honey spoon.

He gave the Kazekage a conspiratorial wink, nudging the bottle towards him. "If you put a drop of that in too, I won't tell," he grinned, raising the cup to his face so he could bask in the steam, "It's sort-of traditional with this tea. The aim isn't to get drunk – just to improve the flavour. Gives it an extra kick." He took a generous gulp and closed his eyes, clearly savouring the taste. Gaara pointedly ignored both condiments, placing his hands protectively around the mug.

"Suit yourself," Ren chuckled, swirling his cup automatically with one hand, "You're just like my sister. She prefers her tea plain too. Goodness only knows why." He paused as he said this and glanced to the far end of the room. Most of the house, Gaara had noted on his arrival, was a tiny wooden cabin pulled back into a recess of the northern mountain surrounding the city, but upon entering he had quickly realised that this wasn't quite true. The far wall, where the cabin backed onto a hill, was made of stone gneiss and a small archway led out into what – to all intents and purposes – could be described as a cellar. That area was cut straight into the mountain itself. He could see a couple of doors in the narrow stone corridor beyond the one-room cabin, so he guessed that was where the bedrooms and bathrooms were hidden. At least, that was where Ren had taken his sleeping sister, so it was a fairly safe bet.

"Thank you again, Kazekage-sama," the Seishin jounin muttered thoughtfully, setting down his mug and glancing across at the boy, "For helping me bring her home from the hospital. You were a great help." A slightly more sombre appearance had taken over the man's face and for just a moment he seemed a little lost.

Gaara shrugged, glancing down at the table. "It was nothing," he murmured tactfully and raised his mug. The bitter wooden smell was overpowering, but he also recognised something he thought of as a little like chinese cinnamon or cloves. Maybe both.

"If you say so," Ren sighed, lifting his mug in an appreciate gesture, as he leant forward with both elbows resting on the table, "Still thank you." He blew slightly on the rim of the clay receptacle, apparently more out of habit than necessity.

"You're welcome." Gaara took his first sip of the hot liquid. His eyes widened as he found himself strangely intrigued with the taste. Temari would have had to force it down. Kankurou would have spat it back out without hesitation, but Gaara savoured it. It was a bitter awkward experience, rushing down his throat with a strange tingling warmth. A heady wooden flavour, with perhaps a hint of very burnt caramel, lingered on his tongue. Strange heat filtered outwards from his belly, thawing out his entire body from the long walk up from the city. It almost tingled as he drank. He felt strangely intoxicated, alive with the taste, and he found himself staring down into the light brown fluid in his cup, a blush creeping up onto his cheeks, as he remembered a very similar sensation he hand once felt lying still in Naomi's lap as she performed the sleeping jutsu on him.

He looked up to see Ren staring at him. The man placed his cup down on the table. His head was ever so slightly tilted as he regarded the boy. "Can I ask you something?" he inquired; his eyes narrowed and his fingers tapping the rough clay.

Gaara kept his hands folded around his mug, as he mirrored Ren's movements. "Go ahead," he replied, nodding slightly.

Ren stiffened almost imperceptibly. "Why are you here?" he inquired, folding his arms and sitting slightly more upright, "It was kind of you to help me out, but I get the feeling you've got more you want from us."

The boy's grip tightened around his mug. "I…" he stuttered and fell silent, gazing into a depths of his tea. He found himself unable to answer the question and drew back on the high-backed bench, hugging the drink to his chest. His eyes got lot on the carefully hand-embroidered upholstery. More flowers, he noticed, with the occasional bird.

Ren gave a low sympathetic sigh, shaking his head as he frowned. "You know she won't be able to talk when she wakes up right?" he persisted, jerking his head meaningfully towards the archway as he raised his eyebrows, "Or at least the honourable Hokage-sama has forbidden her from speaking under pain of more sedative." He reached for his mug, gesturing with it as he raised it back up towards his face. "And, I warn you," he offered, sarcasm layering his tone, "I have no scruples about calling Yurika or the Hokage-sama up here to administer that if she breaks that rule. So she really won't be answering questions." Drinking another gulp of tea, he waggled the eyebrows as he did so, but the meaning wasn't lost on the Kazekage.

"I know…" Gaara muttered, barely looking up from his drink.

Ren stayed still, watching him for a while. The room around then was surprisingly quiet. The wind rattled softly against the panes and the rain pattered on the slate roof, but even though the house to which the jounin had taken his sister and the Kazekage was an hour or so north of Seishin city by foot, the mountain around them surprisingly tame. There was a small lake outside and if he listened carefully, Gaara could just make out the sound of water rushing in a nearby steam. Every now and then, the odd bird chirped or scraped against the roof as it hoped about looking for food, but the area was surprisingly peaceful. As if this part of the mountain had closed itself away entirely.

The cabin was surprisingly well lit by Seishin standards and Gaara's seat had placed him near a window. If he turned his head, he could actually see the rain as it dripped down from the sky, trickling to join its fellow water in the lake. Thick bushes of sweet smelling flowers grew around the house, clumping in large gaps of dark schist. The pink and purple of lilacs and hydrangeas blossomed madly in the grey, stray petals falling among the glittering quartz. Small yellowish buttercup-like weeds pushed up from the ground among the rough mountain grass and rich purple climbers like morning glory hung around the window frames. Apart from the small window in the kitchen, most of the simple heavily partitioned frames were situated around the table, giving a clear view of the lake and rolling blue mist over the mountains, as it slipped gently downwards towards the house.

That crazy colour scheme had been kept inside as well. It wasn't just the galley in its pink and green glory, heavily embroidered cushions had been thrown around both where Gaara was sat and over the hard wooden pew that was almost the only furniture on the wall opposite the table. Those types of larger, more solid fixtures were rare in this house. What little there was consisted mostly of heavy auburn wood, probably hewn from local trees… but the trim was almost excessive. It was embroidery mostly: beautiful wall hangings and homemade cushions and a colourful woven rug with neatly stitched ends, all in dusky rose or canary yellow or turquoise or sky blue.

Inside and out, Gaara could see flowers blooming and birds flying, until it felt almost as if this room was merely a part of the garden outside. Blackbirds hoped on seed tables and sparrows played in birdbaths; flowers from all seasons blossomed madly around them and Gaara found himself almost lost in the unfamiliar environment. Not for the first time, he longed for the comforting cocoon of sand that was so much a part of who he was. He missed the weight of his gourd and its chakra-laden grains that moved to his slightest will. It was as much a part of his body as his heartbeat and, stripped of it, he might as well have been naked. He felt so vulnerable and exposed with so much sand lost in the oceans surrounding Seishin. What little remained stirred softly against his skin, coiling against his wrists in a reassuring motion, but it did little to help.

Ren sighed and took another long swig of tea, watching the boy as he stared fixedly down into his own mug. "This business has got to you, huh?" the jounin murmured, in between taking yet another sip.

Gaara did not look up. "I suppose…"

The older man inclined his head, sighing. He adjusted his rear on the low backless stool that was his seat, one of two that completed the dining set. "Are you angry at her?" he inquired, resting his elbows on the table, his fingers coiled around his drink.

This time Gaara did raise his head. The crimson hair on his head fluttered slight with the movement and his dark-ringed eyes were open wide. "Pardon?"

Ren smirked. "My sister. Are you angry at her?" He brought his cup down on the table with a heavy pat, still audible even on the thick fabric. "Feeling let down by her?" His brows raised slightly, as he leered knowingly at the Kazekage.

Gaara drew away. His dark-ringed eyes peered at the man in confusion. "What for?"

Ren laughed, straightening up. "For being the most stupid passive little brat this side of the founding of the universe?" he suggested, gesturing with his cup. There was a slightly bitter tone to his voice as he spoke and he narrowly avoided spilling the liquid. "For not standing up for herself? For blindly following such a ridiculous order? For not even trying to protest or protect herself when her life was about to be thrown away in an utterly pointless demonstration?"

The boy sat still for a moment. His gaze drifted across towards the darkened archway, far away from the flowers. His sand shifted uncomfortably around him and he turned suddenly towards the window. "…Yes… I … I suppose I am," he muttered, fingering the rim of the clay mug. His sand tightened around his wrist.

"Good," Ren snapped, bringing his mug down with a thump, "Because I know I am." He shook his head, staring in the direction of Gaara's gaze, "Stupid little… I mean, what was she thinking? Who does she think she is? Throwing her life away like that… She is gonna get such an ear-bashing when she wakes up. Daft little bint – putting us all through this. Yurika and I are going to give her hell."

The Kazekage stared at him in open-mouthed surprise. His body was entirely rigid, motionless... and then Ren smiled, shaking his head gently and breaking the spell. Gaara nodded slightly in response, glancing down at the table. After a few moments he took another sip of tea, frowning into the mug. He noticed that it had cooled to a much more drinkable temperature.

"Does Yurika-san live here too?" he inquired, by way of making conversation. Before he sipped his tea again, he turned the mug in his hands, examining the array of white dots printed on a bright pink background. He grimaced slightly.

Ren glanced up, startled. "Huh?" he shook his head vaguely, as he caught up with the conversation, "Oh… oh, no… she doesn't…" He tapped the tablecloth slightly before swooping up his mug and apparently emptying it in one long swig. "She's in the jounin accommodation," he clarified, setting the receptacle back down and folding his arms as he leant forward to explain, "Nice little place she's got there. Two rooms, quite pretty, hardly any mould… Of course, if we ever manage to get married…" Ren trailed off, suddenly frowning. He gazed vaguely at the floor, shifting in his seat.

Gaara tilted his head in surprise. "You don't think you will?"

Ren shifted awkwardly. He glanced out into the rainy garden, staring at the flowers and shook his head. "It's not that I don't want too," he replied, sighing softly, "There are just... you know… _Other_ problems." He frowned slightly as he said it, shifting backwards in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to adjust his thoughts. His furrowed brow looked pained, as he took in the bright colours outside, obscured as they were by the greyness of the rain.

"This 'committee of the breeding project'?" the Kazekage surmised, folding both hands around his mug. The sleeves of his Kage haori brushed on the crocheted wool cover. It was just a shade or too less white than his robes.

Ren started upright. He turned slowly, wide-eyed as he stared at the younger male. "In a word," he agreed, nodding in surprise, "You've heard of it?"

Gaara shrugged, sitting back among the brightly coloured cushions. "It came up during the meeting. You're not optimistic about being granted permission for a marriage?"

Ren sat back, rolling his eyes. He shook his head, shrugging vaguely. "I don't know," he confessed quietly, "It's up to them. They might let us. They might not." He drummed his fingers on the table, glancing out of the window again. "Yurika's mother was only distantly related to a shinobi family," he explained, his expression tightening as he did so, "Her father isn't at all, so her genealogy is pretty flaccid. I, of course, herald from tightly controlled, stuck-up, pompous, regulated and thoroughly planned pedigree, which is exactly the type they like to keep the tightest reigns on." Grunting beneath his breath, he brought his fist down on the table, turning away as he hissed, "Seriously! I thought I left all that behind when I got disinherited, but _no_… It's a shame you can't disinherit your own damn DNA. Useless damn stuff…"

Gaara watched him in surprise. The dark rings of his eyes widened. "They didn't select her for you then?"

The man shook his head, smiling. "No," and the Kazekage found himself taken aback by the honesty in Ren's expression. His entire face seemed to glow with deeply held feelings, but he made no attempt to hide or suppress them. Instead a brief smirk played on his lips and his eyes shone as he unashamedly revelled in his own happy memories. "I never gave them the chance to select anyone," he declared, looking straight at the Kazekage as he spoke, still smiling, "I love Yurika. Have done from the day I met her. She's my destiny and I want her to be my wife – bureaucracy and sheer pot luck willing."

"And if they don't let you?" Gaara almost mouthed the words, his eyes wider still.

Ren's face visibly darkened. He glanced downwards, closing his eyes as if in pain. "I don't know," he sighed, running a hand through his messy brown hair, "I only know that I that I don't ever want to lose her. 'Born by the will of the daimyo. Breathe at the will of the daimyo. Fight at the will of the daimyo…' and all that rot, eh?" Gaara dropped his cup. It clattered onto the table, splashing great waves of tea as the Kazekage jerked awkwardly to his feet.

"Hey! Careful…" Confused, Ren removed the tray and tugged at the tablecloth with one hand, letting the embroidered material absorb the rest of the spill. He winced as he glanced down at the crocheted cover in his hands. "My sister is going to go mad," he groaned softly, shaking his head.

"That?" Gaara interrupted, confusing the jounin as he brought both hands down onto the table to support himself, squashed between it and the immobile bench. "Where's that from? What's that poem?"

Ren frowned, still preoccupied with the stained cloth. "What poem?" he muttered, glancing across at him as he strode over to the kitchen. "You mean the shinobi oath?" The red-brown stain was dark and very visible in his hand.

"Oath?" Gaara repeated the word without appearing to understand it.

The man tossed the ruined fabric into the sink, clearing the tray before placing it over the top to drain. "It's the oath we take when we become shinobi…" he murmured, scratching the top of his head distractedly. "And again every time we're promoted. Wait, my sister's got a … Ah here." He spun on his feet hurrying over to the solitary bench opposite the table that was this room's only other major piece of furniture beside the fireplace. An embroidery stand had been set up nearby and Ren awkwardly freed the frame from its catches, tossing it across on to the Kazekage.

Gaara reached for it where it had fallen on the bare wooden table. It was just a thin frame of very brittle wood, designed to keep a piece of canvas or fabric tout and therefore easier for needlework. In this case the design was largely text-based, an important piece of writing surrounded by decorative pictures and illustrations. Some of the surrounding flowers and part of the border weren't quite finished, but directly below the beak of a perching robin the prose was entirely complete.

_I, a child of Seishin's womb,_

_Upon my life and ancestral tomb,_

_Be it here or anywhere,_

_Upon my honour, life, I swear,_

_That I,_

_Born by the will of the daimyo,_

_Raised by the will of the daimyo,_

_Shall breathe at the will of the daimyo,_

_Fight at the will of the daimyo,_

_Live by the will of the daimyo,_

_Act only upon the will of the daimyo,_

_And die at the will of the daimyo,_

_While young in battle or of old age and sickness,_

_As the daimyo chooses and not me,_

_For my will is now that of he._

Gaara nearly dropped the frame. His entire body shook beneath his robes as he stared at Ren in alarm. "Die at the will of the… Naomi-hime swore this, I take it?"

The man blinked, gawking at him. "Of course, we all do," he replied, evidently confused, "Three times, in fact. When we enter Seishingakure as genin, a second time should we become chuunin and again if we make jounin." He remained motionless in his Seishin jounin uniform, next to the symbol patriotically decorating the front of the kitchen island. It was the same as those on Seishin headbands: two mountain peaks, behind a semi-circle and under a large round dot, possibly meant to represent the sun.

"So she swore… three times… to die, if she was ordered to?" Gaara repeated. His hands curled into fists and he stopped shaking.

"Well..." Ren muttered, scratching his shoulder distractedly beneath his open flak jacket, "Yeah… but…"

He never got any further. Loud anguished screaming broke the quiet in the house; shattering the peace. Gaara glanced up, alarmed and bewildered by the sudden noise. Ren merely started forward, loosing his foot and cursing under his breath as he stared at the darkened archway. "Oh for the love of…" he whispered, glancing uncertainly at the Kazekage, "Not again. Not now."

Gaara struggled out of the bench, but Ren was already gone, disappeared into the small dark corridor at the back of the house. The boy hurriedly crossed the wooden floorboards and stepped down into the stone annex, glancing around as he did so. He had expected to be reminded of the gloom of the castle, but in fact it was hard to make the connection. The area was dark, but beautiful embroidered sceneries hung from the stone tapering almost to the ground. Deer, trees and grassy hillocks sprang up in shades of pale blue and bright green wherever Gaara looked. The floor was covered in soft white rugs and the doors hung with orange and yellow curtains, making the place feel far more cheerful than one might have thought.

He could hear Ren's voice from behind the furthest door and followed the sound, pushing away a deep orange curtain and a small teak door to enter. The sight he saw surprised him more than anything else had so far.

It stank of incense. A small skylight brought in some natural illumination and air, but it could do nothing to brighten the atmosphere. Where the rest of the house was cheerfully decorated, this room was left bare. A small alcove held a built-in wardrobe and a bare futon mattress on the floor. Nearby the familiar wheelchair stood at the ready. It was the only other piece of real furniture in the whole room. The rest of the chamber had been given over to shelving. Endless rows of shelving stretching straight up to the ceiling and on them endless amounts of candles, easily more than a hundred of them, all laid out neatly among gilded flowers and incense burners. A low tray table stood in the centre of the candle-laden shelves baring a tiny prayer bell in a bowl and a couple of vases of large leafed greenery.

Almost immediately Gaara found himself distracted by Ren. The man was crouching over the futon, cradling the lone figure laid out on it. "Hey, hime-sama? You okay?" he muttered, as the body clung to his chest, shaking heavily, "Don't drop out on me, baby sister. Come on." He seemed to be rubbing the figure's back. Gaara could just make out the familiar messy brown-grey hair in the half-light. She seemed to be clinging to her brother's shoulder. He took a few hesitant steps forward, unsure of whether or not he was intruding on something he shouldn't witness.

"I… O'Nii-sama?" he heard a familiar voice whisper. She sounded strained and horse.

"It's me," Ren replied softly, stroking her head gently, "Don't talk, okay hime? I'm under strict orders to tranq you if you keep trying to and I damn well will." He pushed the woman away at that, tapping her gently on the nose, and Gaara could see her face. It was still shockingly pale and her eyes appeared bloodshot. Even her freckles looked faded. Unfocused she seemed to be struggling to concentrate on her brother. She nodded weakly.

"That's my girl," Ren crooned, gently ruffling her limp, matted hair, "I just made some tea… I'll… well, no." He paused, his eyes rolling as he recollected, "You're 'nil by mouth', aren't you? Took me forever just to get them to let you come home. Figured you'd be happier here anyway." He smiled, but she wasn't paying him much attention.

Focusing instead on the approaching figure in the middle of her bedroom floor, she frowned slightly, narrowing her eyes in apparent confusion. "Kazekage-sama?"

"Oi!" Ren hissed in irritation, tapping her nose a second time. This time it was hard enough to push the soft tissue inwards slightly and make her blink. "No more talking, you!" he commanded, his face stern, "I'll get you some water. You can wash your mouth out if your throat is dry, but don't swallow. You don't want to reopen that wound, you hear me?" He ruffled her hair and settled her into a sitting position against the wall, exchanging a nod with Gaara before he left.

When Ren had discharged her from the hospital, there hadn't been much for his sister to wear besides the uniform she had arrived in. The nurses had reluctantly redressed her in that before two men took her away. Obviously Ren had not felt comfortable changing his sister's clothes when he put her to bed, because she was still wearing that same blood-soaked uniform. Her shoes and flak jacket had been removed along with her headband, but the formerly pink dress and shorts still clung to her body, looking uncomfortable and … crispy for lack of a better word.

Naomi got to her feet, gazing at Gaara. He returned the stare, rather surprised and suddenly uncomfortably aware that he had been left alone in a young woman's bedroom. She however just bowed loosely in his direction, her hair flopping around her shoulders, and indicated with a wave of her hand that he was welcome to have a seat or make himself comfortable however he liked.

Gaara remained perfectly still, watching her. She reached down, rather shakily and grabbed a small candle lighter from the flagstones beside her mattress. Cradling it in her hands she staggered to the far end of the room, where the shelves and candles were. Gaara moved as if to help her, but she arrested him with a turn of her head and a cold glare. He froze and shrank back into the darkness of the cool room.

Returning back to her current occupation, she carefully stretched out her arm, lighting a single candle. It flame flickered as it settled and by the time she removed her hand, it was burning at a steady rate. Unsteadily she continued around the room, lighting other candles and incense burners in an order that might have been random, except that she seemed to know exactly which one she wished for at any one time. When she had finished, she returned to the small table in the centre of the room. Brushing one of the leaves in the vase with her fingers, she seemed utterly preoccupied as she knelt before her the tiny table. Ringing the bell, she quietly bowed her head and brought her hands together, her long hair falling loose around her shoulders as she did so. Gaara felt like he would not dare disturb her. She appeared to have forgotten him entirely.

He jumped as someone tapped his shoulder. Startled, he turned his head in alarm and was stunned to realise that Ren had approached from behind him without his noticing. "Is she praying again…?" the man inquired, raising an eyebrow, "I'll just put this by her bed then." He held up a glass of water as if for inspection. It glinted in the candlelight and Ren swirled the water with a twist of his hand, causing the light to fracture into brief rainbows and images. The jounin smiled, examining the effect as he stood there in his ninja blacks and dark brown flak jacket.

Gaara frowned, slightly puzzled. "Does she do this a lot?" he whispered, keeping his voice in a hushed tone so as not to disturb the woman in prayer.

Ren paused, turning to look at him. He raised the corner of his mouth in a dispassionate gesture. "Every day pretty much," he replied, nodding slightly, "Especially when she's woken up from a nightmare."

"That shrine?" Gaara inclined his head slightly, "Is it…?"

Ren smile was rather tight-lipped. "It's for the dead – yeah. Comrades that died in battle and… I think…" he paused, for a moment, apparently unsure of his next words, "People she was ordered to kill."

* * *

_**(1)** U.S. & Alternate Terms_: dish towel, dish cloth, dish rag etc


	54. Chapter 7i

The noise was unbearable. Naruto clutched his skull, the splitting pain making his eyes water. His ears ringing, he doubled over, groaning as the green smoke once again closed in on him. It clutched at his throat, stinging his eyes and making him gag.

"_Urufu no Kagami!"_ a girl's voice cried out and suddenly the air was filled with howling. The green mist in Naruto's eyes was pierced with a glaring blue light. He gasped, falling backwards as the screaming grew less incessant, blubbering into fits and starts instead. Something brushed through his peripheral vision; something jagged in ice blue. He turned, gaping, and saw a wolf, no, a hundred wolves… it was hard to be sure. Every slight move of his head brought them in and out of focus; every slight twist in his vision changed their number from one to a thousand.

Countless ice blue fangs bared in the green fog. Cyan eyes glowed with menace. Their... its very fur seemed to consist of electric blue glass, sparking with unholy turquoise light. Sharp claws scraped on the ground. Fangs gnashed in hidden jaws. Ears twitched in the smoke.

The child whimpered and kicked its limbs as it hung in mid-air, drawing its smoke back around itself protectively. It huddled, as its foggy blanket billowed and furled around it, sniffing and shaking and rubbing its hands over its eyes.

"Sakura!" Naruto screamed, hurtling to his feet and peering through the fog. He waved his hands in panic, failing at the smoke as he fumbled towards the bed. "Shizune-san! Sakura-chan!" They hung limp, several feet above the child, in the air, suspended by coils of smoke. Their faces and fingertips were a worrying shade of blue. Ton-ton dangled upside down, her trotters sticking out at odd angles.

"Sakura-chan!" he cried again.

"Watch out!" It was the girl who had been his guide. Thrusting forward an arm, she charged forwards – and, as she did so, the wolves attacked. Springing from the shadows, hundreds of ice blue bodies leapt up onto the bed, a wave of cerulean blue bursting from the green. She caught herself on the footrest, swinging up onto the mattress, but the wolves soared over her. Entirely uninhibited, they pounced upon the small grey child.

They tore it from the air, snatching at it with fangs and claws… and then suddenly there was just one wolf: her wolf. The Genjutsu dissolved as the creature growled, pinning the child down onto the bed. Beneath the jowls of the snarling animal, the tiny grey figure squirmed and cried, staring in horror at the saliva-dripping canines just above its face.

Naruto dived under the bed, emerging on the other side just as Sakura and the other two hostages plummeted down on top of him. He groaned. The two unconscious women had knocked the wind right out of his lungs.

The child screamed in an angry fury. Green smoke billowed up from the bed, sending the wolf and its master flying. Naruto winced, pushing away Sakura's thigh, as the noxious substance mushroomed up towards the ceiling, carrying its tiny grey cargo at its summit. He groaned again, struggling out from underneath the two limp bodies, as he desperately tried to weave the hand sign necessary for his shadow clones.

Naruto never got that far. The door slammed open. Water gushed into the room, swirling across the lino. It rose up in tendrils, lashing at the cloud of smoke, and Momoka stood in the doorway – her body soaked from the rain.

The child screamed again. Thin streams of water spiralled up around it like a prison, converging down on its smoke-covered form. It cried and suddenly it burst free of the watery prison. Smoke billowing everywhere, it rocketed towards the door, buffeting Momoka aside, as it tore up the stairs and disappeared outside to freedom.


	55. Chapter 7j

The rain had stopped, drawn away as if by magic. Gaara followed Ren into the garden, noting the many blossoming summer plants around the cabin. Weather-beaten wooden railings lined the raised porch at the front, so hung with birdbaths and feeders that the rich dark cherry of the wood was almost lost in places. Thick long meadow grasses grew in clumps among the rocky banks of the lake and, as the Kagekage descended the steep ramp-step hybrid from the house, he noticed the many nesting boxes and small animal shelters hidden on the roof and among the cliffs. They were well-used too. A sparrow leapt out of a small beaten-looking box on a nearby tree and fluttered down onto a feeding tray. It hopped about, diligently peeking at seeds even as Gaara watched it, apparently completely unconcerned by the nearby humans.

Icy mist swirled over the clear crystal water of the lake, undisturbed and entirely still in its bed of heavy gneiss and schist. The edges of forests rolled upwards into the cloudy sky around them. Fallen rain drops glittered on the grass and rocks and the heavy scent of damp wood was strong in the air. Light grey clouds streaked through the sky overhead, still overcast and muggy from the rain shower, but the sun warmed the swirling patterns from behind, making them shimmer and radiate with more depth than they had.

This was a beautiful little pace secreted into the north-facing mountain. When they had carried Naomi home from the hospital they had not walked for much more than an hour or so, all entirely uphill, but Gaara was surprised to find he couldn't see the city of Seishin at all anymore, even though they should have been facing it. A natural outcrop of rock hid the lake and its surroundings entirely from the outside world, keeping them safe and secluded from everything except the sky.

Ren moved along the shore of the lake, apparently checking on some of the shelters after the rain, but he gave up after a young blackbird sprang from among a brambly thicket and attacked him. Squawking shrill shrieks of fury, it flapped madly against the jounin's face, giving him a serious piece of its mind about disturbing its shelter. Ren automatically shielded his eyes and took a few steps backwards in surprise. Its relentless squawking didn't let up and the man scowled, futilely trying to wave it away. With a sudden deft movement he snatched the bird around its middle and tossed it up into the air with both hands. It reeled slightly against the sky, fluttering madly as it attempted to regain flight control… and the jounin beat a hasty retreat towards the house, hiding near a bemused-looking Gaara.

The man collapsed on the porch stairs, panting and chuckling slightly under his breath. Gaara smirked slightly, watching as the bird landed neatly near the thicket and groomed its ruffled feathers. It eyed them wearily and hopped over the nearby rocks and grass, batting its wings slightly in a manner meant to intimidate the two men. Apparently it hadn't yet decided to trust the two shinobi.

Ren laughed outright, pushing his head through his hands to pull back the hair on his face. His lumpy nose twitched slightly and his eyes were gleaming. He slapped his leg as he thumped the ground once with his foot, leaning back on the damp wood without any sign of concern. "Well, Kazekage-sama, with your permission, I should call someone to escort you back to the city," he sighed, glancing up at Gaara and scratching his head, "These mountains only get more treacherous in the dark."

Without realising it, the boy stiffened, looking away over the still waters of the lake. "I'm fine here for now," he murmured, without turning back.

"Hm?" Ren frowned in surprise, "You'll end up spending the night at this rate. Your subordinates will worry." The joyful expression slowly dissipated from his face, replaced instead with a puzzled concern as he regarded the younger male. His features narrowed and he leant forward again, propping himself on his thighs as he awaited a response.

Gaara didn't turn around. His shoulders were hunched in something akin to guilt. "I'm sure someone will let them know where I am."

"Ha-hah," Ren snorted, shaking his head as he glanced down at the floor to hide his smile, "You're almost as bad as my sister. I can never keep tabs on her either."

"Hn." The stiffening of Gaara's shoulders had worsened at the mention of the jounin's sibling. In fact he had positively flinched. His body turned reflexively still further towards the water, inching him away from his companion without his conscious notice.

Ren frowned again, his expression falling into a more obvious disquiet. Narrowing his eyes, he chewed his lip thoughtfully for a few minutes with his gaze locked firmly on the boy's back. A bird twittered nearby, distracting him and he shook his head. "Well," he sighed, slapping his knee and standing up, "It's not like the hime and I don't welcome company. If you do decide you don't want to make a move soon, let me know, okay?" He stretched slightly, shaking his head again, as he placed a foot up on the first of the porch stairs and took a hold of the banister. "I'll message Seishingakure, so they know where you are," he added, his voice lowering and his eyebrows waggling meaningfully.

The Kazekage turned slightly, catching a glimpse of his expression. Gaara seemed a little relieved and gave the man a slight nod, glancing guiltily at his feet. "And I'll set up the spare room," Ren went on, pulling himself around, so he could ascend the stairs, "It'll take a while for the hot water to heat up, but there's always the hot springs if you want a wash…" He waved his free hand towards the cliff the cabin backed onto. Something scuffled in the grass, alarmed by the movement.

Gaara paused, frowning at this information. "Hot springs?" He glanced across the plant-strewn rocks, instinctively searching for the suggested feature. The more he looked, the more confused he became, glancing from the jounin to the cliffs with ever deeper furrows in his brow.

Ren glanced over his shoulder, sensing the confusion from the silence. "Over there." He jabbed his hand in the direction he had indicated before.

There was something that could vaguely be considered to be of that ilk. Part of the rock had been hewn away in a rough square shape to allow for a vaguely angular pool of water at the bottom. There wasn't any vegetation at its edges and it did seem a little odd for a pond, but there was also no tell-tale sulphur smell and it didn't look even remotely warm. In fact Gaara was convinced he could see traces of ice on some of the stones around the edges.

"Hot…?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes beneath his furrowed brow. His arms were folded, as he stared up at Ren, wondering what he meant.

The older man caught the expression through a slight turn in his head. He blinked and then a slight smirk drifted over his features as he realised what the problem was. "Yeah," he nodded, still grinning as he rubbed the back of his head, "Let me show you…" Placing both hands upon the banister, he catapulted himself from the stairs, pulling a neat somersault before landing in a crouch next to the water's edge. As Gaara followed more hesitantly on foot, the other shinobi stretched out a single arm over the crystalline surface. His sleeve pulled upwards as his muscles extended and flexed his arm, revealing glimpse of the hairy tanned skin underneath. Making sure the approaching teenager could see what he was doing, Ren moved his hand in several rapid circles over the water. It bubbled up, starting to steam and froth beneath his thick-set dark knuckled fingers. Thick clouds of vapour spiralled upwards and the entire pool was suddenly radiating a warm inviting heat.

Gaara felt his mouth fall open. "That's…? How…?" He moved in closer, kneeling by the pool in fascination. Used to Suna's scorching deserts, he welcomed the sudden heat against his skin, even if it was a little damp. His sand layers shifted automatically allowing him to bask in the sudden warmth as he leaned in towards it.

Ren smirked again, removing his hand and allowing himself to plonk onto the ground. Almost the instant he withdrew, the water stopped bubbling and the heat disappeared. Gaara scowled and his sand snapped back into position, protecting him the abrupt chill. He turned his head, slightly surprised to find the jounin watching him.

The man sighed, apparently lost in thought. "You know our mountains are a little special, right?" Ren explained, one arm resting on his knee. He tilted his head and tapped his fingers on his shin, waiting for a response. It took Gaara a minute or two until he realised that his earlier question was being answered.

"Something about the rock?" the boy frowned, narrowing his eyes as he glanced at the pool of water, "It had chakra…?"He settled himself so he was facing the jounin, his white haori and robes twisting around his legs as curiosity got the better of him.

"Natural energy and chakra-absorbing properties, yes," Ren nodded, settling into his lecture. His elbow still on his knee, he spread his hands as if holding a large invisible ball between them. Drawing back a little, he met his listener's steady gaze and continued, "Basically our mountains act as something like giant sponges for nature-based chakra. They collect masses of the stuff, churning it around for eons inside themselves and storing it in great hoards until it ruptures and emerges in some form or other." His hands started twisting around themselves in a mixing motion and then snapped together in a clapping sound. Glancing wistfully up towards the mountainous horizon, he sighed deeply before focusing on Gaara again.

"Many areas of Seishin are worse than others," Ren sighed, propping himself on his knee again, "But around here we generally just get nasty energy based storms and rivers flooding out of season… that kind of thing. Turns in the energy currents can affect our animals, kill crops, cause earthquakes or affect the landscape…" He gestured at the surrounding rock, patting it briefly.

"Affect the landscape?" Gaara interrupted him, leaning forward in alarm. The teenage boy was wide-eyed, the dark rings stretched as he rumpled his nose in confusion. His gaze was rather more worried when he surveyed the horizon than his companion's had been.

"And _far_ worse," Ren snorted, rolling his eyes darkly, "Just not so much in this area." Gaara did not seem placated. Ren shook his head and continued without elaborating. "But yes, we get effects on the landscape. This lake for example," he jerked his head in the general direction, tracing an invisible line across the distant water with his index finger, "It's situated right on a natural fault line in the mountain's energy flow. In actual fact large amounts of the surface water are far below freezing temperature – other parts are well above boiling, but the water stays liquid by the sheer amount of natural energy churned through it by the mountain. It pressurises the molecules and prevents them from altering their state, you see?" His hand bounced slightly against his knee, its fingers spread wide.

Gaara nodded, his eyes cautiously roaming the water. "It affects the lake, turning the impossible into reality."

"If you like," Ren nodded, he flicked a hand to his side. He watched the mist swirling over the motionless expanse of blue water, his face and back stiffened, even as he smiled. Something rustled in some nearby thickets and he was suddenly grinning, watching as a pair of young rabbits stuck their little twitching noses out from among the bramble. His eyes drifted back to the silent Kazekage. The boy's ridged troubled expression made the older man sigh. He stretched slightly and accidentally sent the animals scrambling for cover with the movement, clicking his tongue as he settled back into his explanation. "This hot spring was actually originally created by my sister's former sensei as a way of training basic chakra and energy manipulation," he told him, his fingertips brushing slightly over the rock as he gestured towards the pool, "As it's connected to the lake, being exposed to the water's natural temperature is likely to leave you hypothermic in seconds, so the idea is to blend your own chakra through the water and use it to manipulate the currents to mix up something more comfortable for a bath."

Gaara felt his eyes darkening. He gazed into the depths of the still water beside them attempting to hide his frown. Even though he had just heard a whole wealth of information, there was a single fat that replayed over and over in his head, louder and more insistent than the rest. "Naomi-hime was trained here?" The words were out of his mouth before he realised it. A knot forming somewhere deep in the bit of his stomach, his face hardened as he realised to his shame that he was blushing.

"Yeah, amongst other places…" Ren sighed, apparently oblivious as he rolled his eyes and glanced up at the sky. He tapped his knee lightly, grunting slightly as he turned back to the boy. "And then she brought me up here to train as a genin. Before long our campsite grew so well-established we went and built a house on it." He smirked, fondly gazing across at the cabin. "It's a good place to get away from everyone, you see? The east and western mountains in this range aren't too bad, but Hokuyama here is more treacherous for non-chakra users." He patted the ground beside him in an affectionate gesture. His fingers lingered in long sweeping movements on the cold, lifeless stone as he did so and his eyes softened, almost as if he were talking about a favourite pet or an old friend instead of a geological feature. "Not as bad as many we've got, but the ordinary citizens still avoid it. We've seen too many die in sudden natural chakra-like energy shifts to take chances." His face contorted and he withdrew his hand, placing it heavily on his leg and looking away, as if he suddenly could no longer stand the contact.

"Sounds dangerous," Gaara commented dryly, observing the older man with a frown.

"Not so much to a jounin-level shinobi," Ren snorted, sighing as he stretched again, "You'd feel really sick, but you'll survive. Besides, as I said, Hokuyama isn't too bad." He glanced down at the rock again, smiling. One foot shifted a little, rubbing a few little pebbles into a pile and smoothing them back out again. "Worst we get here in the footfalls are sudden crop failures and the odd crazy cattle… and that's not too often. It's why we have such a high civilian population round here to begin with. This area's comparatively safe."

Gaara's dark ringed eyes widened, the pale turquoise within them all the more prominent as he did so. "I'm surprised people would want to live near something so dangerous."

"Pah," Ren laughed dryly, shaking his head, "Why do people live near volcanoes… or deserts for that matter? Folks just tend to live wherever their ancestors set up shop. They stick around and make do with what they call home, until it becomes a part of who they are." He smiled. Catching Gaara's eye, he gave him a wink and settled his hand into the curve of his neck, propping himself upright.

"It's the same here," he continued, glancing over the mountains. Instinctively his listener followed his gaze, eyeing the distant craggy peaks as they jutted out among the clouds. "Occasionally crops ruin for no good reason," Ren sighed, absorbing the view, "But just as often they're abundant. Sometimes nasty storms roll off the mountains and kill the cattle, but at other times the goats just grow fat and strong on our native chakra-feeding vegetation… and, of course, there are always the shinobi to look out for things." His face hardened a little and he turned back to Gaara with a slightly stiff expression that took the Kazekage a little aback.

"When other ninja clans were still nomads and mercenaries," he explained, his eyes remaining unusually stern, "Seishin no Kuni already welcomed our ancestors into its borders. They say some of the first chakra-using tribes originated from here, like the Rowna for example, and others, like the shinobi clans, came and tamed the rough mountains into places calm enough for cities to grow." Instinctively, he patted the ground again, the smile returning to his face. "Hokuyama here was one of those managed by the Iriai back in the day. Technically it still is, I suppose. Shinobi monitor the mountain's natural energy currents and ensure they never erupt into something too dangerous for the civilian population. There are still wild areas, some groups of mountains where none but the bravest shinobi would dare go… but generally we get by…"

He stopped abruptly, the words dying on his lips. Gaara frowned beside him, but Ren was already scrambling to his feet, as jumpy as a startled hare. His features twisted in confusion and his eyes widened, as he stretched out a hand in front of him as if he would only believe what he was seeing if he could feel it. "Hime?" the word rolled off his tongue and at it, the boy beside him snapped around so fast he might been flying. "You're awake? I thought you'd go back to sleep after you'd finished in your room."

Gaara found himself staggering upright. When the door had opened he did not know, but there she was. The wicker wheelchair stood on the porch and she sat in it, long unkempt and matted washed-out hair falling loosely over her face, as she regarded them with a fixed and slightly troubled stare.

"We need to get back to Seishingakure," she announced, grabbing both of her wheels. Gaara frowned, glancing at her brother.

Ren closed his eyes, hissing in irritation. "Don't talk, hime," he snapped, stepping forward, "It's not…"

"_No_." She thrust a hand forwards angrily, commanding him to silence with the urgency in her tone. Her bloodied clothing was uncovered as she leant forward in the chair. None of her usual assortment of blankets lay around her and what she had on appeared to have been selected in a hurry. It was all from her ninja uniform, Gaara noticed with another frown, bloodied and damaged though that had become. "We need to get back to the village _now_," she exclaimed, wheeling towards them, "The country's under attack."


	56. Chapter 7k

"Oh my…" Ren trailed off, the words dying in his mouth as he took in the sight below. His sister pushed a hand firmly against his arm and he released the chair, letting it roll forward on the bumpy earth path. It shuddered to a halt among the stones and dips. Naomi barely moved, her body slumping against the seat.

Gaara glanced behind him, catching sight of her colourless face as it recoiled against the wicker backrest. Her eyes were closed and her blue-flushed lips pressed tight. Dark lines marked her features and she sagged in the chair, her focus merely on her breathing. She appeared tired and exhausted, just coming to get them had taken much of her remaining strength, draining her to the point where she could no longer hide much of the pain she was in.

All the same, he was grateful she had. How she had known, Gaara couldn't begin to fathom, but nestled in the dip of the valley, Seishingakure rose up among the surrounding fields like a mountain in miniature. Solid and dark among the tamed meadows and crops, the towers of the castle reached up towards the sky as the heavy rings of the mighty walls spread out below. Mist travelling down the winding river got drawn into the city, sucked in from the nearby rice paddies and left to swirl around the houses until it built into crashing waves over the blue slate roofs under the cloudy skies… but the swirling mist no longer appeared natural.

It teemed and billowed, ripped from its refuge among the buildings until it sloshed into streams and rivers, a whole network of dark khaki-coloured liquid water whirling through the air over the city and crashing down right upon its centre, into the hidden village, among thick tendrils of green smoke. Gaara found himself suddenly very worried for those he had left there. His fists clenched at his sides, clutching the white fabric of his haori.

"I'd better… go," Ren mumbled, his eyes still fixed on the sight visible so far below them, "Can you get back to the house?" He shot his sister a cursory glance, his feet already stumbling forward.

"No." She stirred in the chair, the lines around her mouth and chin tightening in displeasure. With an effort, she raised her head, squinting up at him. "I need to get… to the village."

He spun toward her, his eyes widened… and then they narrowed in a glare. "No way," he folded his arms, facing her, "You're too weak. Go home and rest."

One hand gripping the back of her chair, she pulled herself upright. Her mouth opened and closed as she fought to control the air flowing through her damaged throat. "You won't…" she swallowed, wincing in pain, "Find…" Her bloodied clothes rose and fell as she gasped and struggled to breathe, falling forward to support herself on her knees.

Ren growled. "You know," he snapped, waving an arm down in the direction of the valley, "I think I can see _that_ even without your help."

Naomi shook her head, winching with the motion. "Only… half…" she gasped, choking as she tried to speak, her throat too sore to continue.

In spite of himself, her brother paused. His features becoming rather more uncertain, as he stared down at the occupant of the wheelchair, "What do you mean?" He clasped the elbow of his black three-quarter sleeve, pulling distractedly at it, as he bit his lip.

Naomi gasped, swallowing hard as she tried to speak again. A low gurgling sound emitted from the back of her throat and she clutched her neck, falling forward over her knees, in obvious pain. Ren knelt down in an instant, attempting to right her, but she pushed him away. As Gaara watched, she clasped her brother's wrists, pulling him closer so that her eyes were level with his and their foreheads nearly touched. Her messy hair brushed again the male Seishin flak jacket. Then she closed her eyes. Gaara's widened as he felt something stir in her steady pulsing chakra.

'_Exactly what I said: What you see down there is only half the problem._' Her voice rang out, clearer and truer than anything, but her lips had not moved.

Tall jagged gneiss and granite cliffs reared up on either side of them, flanking the worn out earth track that led down to their cabin by the lake. One of its main distributary channels as well as tributaries, the mountain river tumbled out from the nearby rock, cascading out into the local forests in a surge of fast-moving rapids before it flowed out into the valley and served as the largest water source for Seishin's capital. The noise from the gushing fall was unrelenting, but both Naomi and Ren seemed to cope better with it than Gaara, who stood a little further down the winding grassy earth track near the riverbank. His hands were lost in his robes as he waited for them among a knoll of wild flowers and struggled to understand a word they were saying, except what she had said last.

_Genjutsu_, Gaara realised, closing his mouth as he regarded the pair of siblings further up the bumpy earth road. She had used Genjutsu to cast the illusion of her own voice saying what she needed it to say. Ninja gifted in those techniques naturally manipulated the chakra pathways in the brain to create images and sounds that were not real to anyone but the target. Naomi's instinctive telepathy was a refined version of that, allowing her to monitor the brain right down to the basic thought processes and instinctively make sense of them, so it followed that she was probably a gifted Genjutsu user in general as well. Creating a disembodied voice was crude and very basic and there was something poignantly pathetic about the idea that this was now easier for her than speaking.

'_I need to get back down to the village,_' she continued, releasing her brother, '_Someone needs to marshal our forces._' Her hands dropped down onto her knees and she slumped, sightlessly, back into her chair, without ever opening her eyes.

Torn, Ren glanced from his sister to the city below them, clearly unable to make up his mind about what to do next. Cursing under his breath, he spun on his heel, sprinting down the hill as his obvious duty forced him to concede to Naomi's demands. "Kazekage-sama," he called, hurrying towards the boy, "I don't suppose you'd be able to escort my sister?" His fists slammed into his knees, as he staggered to a halt in front of the young red-head. "I have to get down there as quickly as possible."

Gaara nodded, closing his eyes with characteristic calm. "No problem."

"Thank you," Ren gasped, straightening up, poised and ready to run again. Then he stopped abruptly, turning his face slowly back towards Gaara's. "Please…" he began, biting his lip slightly, "Just… keep her out of trouble. Don't let her do any fighting or anything…" His fingers twitched as he glanced back towards the little that was visible of his sibling, as she sat hidden away in her wheelchair.

'_Go. Your hesitation is threatening my city._' There had been no obvious sign of movement, but the voice this time was heavily layered with irritation. Ren breathed a silent curse, exchanging a look with the Kazekage, but he turned and sped down into the valley, his ninja training allowing him to become little more than a settling cloud of dust in mere seconds.

Gaara straightened himself, watching as a pair of slender female hands emerged rather more slowly over the large curved armrests of the wheelchair, forcing it around. It trundled down the hill, bouncing over stray stones on the unsuitable pathway as its occupant strained to compel it forward.

He held a hand, offering her a smile. "Shall we?" Gaara smirked, as he received little more than a glare in response to his attitude.


	57. Chapter 7l

Naruto slipped across the ground, feeling himself being pushed back inch by inch. Momoka braced herself behind him, her hands clutched together as she tried to drive the water onwards and inwards.

"Na…Naruto?" a voice murmured softly and Kakashi glanced down, staring at the pale face in his lap. He leant back against the wall, shifting slightly against the damp, dirty stone.

"It's okay now, Sakura," he soothed her gently, rushing a hand over her damp pink tresses; mud stained his fingers and he was breathing heavily, "Just relax. We've got things under control."

"Ka-kashi… sensei?" she formed the words, blinking up at him. Cold stone masonry stretched out around them. A multitude of broken noises assaulted her ears and the sodden bedraggled form of her teacher felt like the only warm spot in the universe – yet somehow his attempts to reassure her upset her more than if he had been silent. She pressed a hand against the ground, using it to support herself as she crawled upright, squinting as she stared into his masked face, "What's happening?"

He pushed her away, hissing out a groan as he attempted to turn away. His brow looked pale, drawn… and he clutched his side, his one visible eye clenching shut with the movement. "Kakashi-sensei," she repeated, alarmed, "What's wrong?"

Her teacher shook his head. "It's nothing…"

"Nonsense… you're injured!" she reached forward, touching his side with hesitant fingers. He gasped and her eyebrows rose, "This is a really bad cut…"

"I fell," Kakashi explained with a very awkward one-shouldered shrug, as she straightened upright and started channelling her chakra to her fingertips to begin a healing jutsu.

"I can…" She never had time to finish the sentence. Something collided into the ground nearby, spending up a thick spray of wet sludge. Sakura gasped. Kakashi leapt forward, protecting his student as a hail of dislodged mud and rock hurtled into the ground beside them.

The girl lay pinned to a wall beneath her panting sensei; her eyes wide and fingers trembling. She took a deep breath, then another, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Kakashi shot a wary glance over his shoulder, frowning. Tentatively she followed his line of sight. They were out in the street not far from the medical centre. Smashed stone littered the ground around them. A muddy figure in black and orange hunkered above the ripped up tiles, one hand drawn back behind him. She could practically see the snarling face: Naruto, a swirling Rasengan on his open palm.

Not far away, in a drenched Seishin uniform, Momoka reared up within a continual torrent of water, her long black locks plastered against her skin. Foamy riverlets swirled and twisted around her, ready to obey her every whim, as she called down water from the skies to do her bidding. Even from where she was, Sakura could see the firm lines of the girl's determined scowl beneath the rushing waterfall, but she could also see that she was hunching forward a little too far and that her arms were shaking. Momoka was tiring rapidly and running out of chakra with it.

Sakura glanced at Kakashi and then back at the green smoke trailing over the ground in the battlefield. Her eyes were wide in worry. Another, obviously exhausted, Seishin chunnin was crouched nearby with an unconscious Shizune and a limping wolf. Ahead of them the green vapour was already rising though, tumbling over broken flagstones and drawing ever closer to Naruto and the other girl. It swayed back and forth, inches above the ground, closing in on them in a hesitant circle.

Momoka gave a wave of her hand and water squirted from her tumbling fall, splashing across the ground. The smoke reared back, darting over the top of the invading liquid and gliding up towards the two attackers. Naruto spun on his heel, driving his Rasengan down into the smoke to distort its flow. Momoka's water dived after him tearing through the ring of smoke, as the blonde shinobi leapt on the stone granite wall of the side a building. Sprinting up it, he hurled the Rasengan against a stone gargoyle, smashing it into a thousand pieces.

A pale grey creature in a hospital nightgown toppled out from behind it, wailing all the while. Its miniscule limbs waved as it tumbled through the air. Naruto tensed, ready to spring after it. The child twisted and suddenly … a puff of smoke erupted around it, suspending it in empty space. Naruto reared backwards as Momoka leapt into the air, water gushing up around her. A sharp spurt struck the green cloud, knocking the crying child from the sky. Naruto sprang from the roof, weaving signs as he fell and a host of shadow clones appeared, landing with him on the ground, ready to catch the grey infant as it landed.

The child squirmed as it fell: arms and legs flailing, overlong digits splayed wide… The many Narutos stretched out their hands. Some climbed their fellows or jumped into the air, the fingertips of one just brushing the edge of a ragged hospital gown. With an almighty wail the child flung out its arms and a thick cloud of smoke bore it upwards and out of danger. Naruto cursed, his clones disappearing into thin air.

Momoka dropped down beside him. She fell to her knees, her hands pressing down on the ground as she gasped for breath. The waterfall spluttered slightly, the torrent slowing to an intermittent trickling stream, a large pool of wasted water leaking out around the two of them. Naruto's followed the girl in alarm. He stooped his brow furrowing as he stretched out a hand to check on his comrade. Sakura tensed at Kakashi's side, leaning forward in apprehension. The dark green of the child's cloud circled above them, curdling and thickening in thin air.

A mere second passed. Momoka raised her head, hair glued her head and neck, and caught Naruto gaze. She gave him a slight nod, smiling grimly. Shakily she got to her feet. Her fists clenching, she drew back a hand. Naruto crouched, summoning a fresh dozen shadow clones, and Momoka thrust her palm forward. That was all it took.

Water shot up from the ground. Streams criss-crossed the cloudy sky, like the bars of a cage, trapping the child beneath them. The Konoha ninja leaped into the air, hurtling forward with a new Rasengan spiralling in his palm. Two clones shot up from opposing sides, equally armed and bearing up towards the small green cloud with deadly accuracy.

The child reared backwards, screaming, its heavy smoke contracting as if in fear. Tendrils of smoke shot outwards, tasting the air in alarm… and then it hit the watery barrier. Momoka closed her fist and the liquids bars coiled up on themselves, locking the child in a heavily fortified prison. Naruto let the Rasengan extinguish itself, his clones popping out of existence as he allowed himself to fall back down to earth. Above them the child wailed and screamed, kicking and slapping up against the bars as its smoke was gradually eroded by the rushing water. It seemed the prison was fortified by some chakra technique, because even without the smoke supporting the captive they held as firmly as if they had been solid.

"Careful," Sakura cried, scrambling to her knees, "Be careful with him. He's probably scared."

"Yeah, yeah," Naruto grunted, collapsed on his rear end somewhere on the ground, "Believe me, that's brat's given us a hell of a time just trying _not_ to kill him, _dattebayo_!"

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, his own gaze locked Momoka instead. She was struggling, swaying on the spot. Her chakra supplies were clearly running dangerously low. A small moan escaped her, making the others turn in alarm.

Her brow was furrowed in concentration. Her spare hand was clasped around the wrist of her closed fist, holding it steady. She seemed to be working on sheer force of will alone, but the bars of her cage held firm… and her prisoner screamed from within it.

Everything was soaked now, but the small inhuman face was wet from more than just the water used as a weapon against it. Tears and snot ran down the leathery skin flaps that marked its cheeks. The condensed little gap that served as a mouth quivered as it opened and closed, creating an incredible amount of noise from such an immobile feature… and yet the sounds it made were far from human, more the screeching of an animal than the crying of a child. Those sunken, pupil-less eyes that glared out at them from their nest of grey wrinkled skin though – they were radiant with vicious anger, caught in the middle of a furious temper tantrum and far from rational. Sharp pointed fangs peeked out from beneath the shrunken lips and its elongated fingers slapped against its liquid confines, furiously trying to kick its way free.

Momoka took a deep breath carefully lowering the cage towards the ground. It shook and the child screamed, but the trap held tight and the child remained captive. Sakura sat up on her knees, impressed despite herself. Partly due to the tailed beast sealed within him, her blonde teammate possessed exorbitant levels of chakra, far beyond what a normal shinobi could ever hope to muster. Along circumstances always seemed to conspire against his promotion from genin, Naruto was in fact on par in ability with any Kage or possibly even beyond that. The fact that this girl could keep up with him in a fight as a mere chuunin – well, it spoke well of the training she had been given at the very least… and of her own determination.

Kakashi made a low noise beside his pink-haired student and she spun around, healing chakra sparking to her fingertips, as far behind her she already heard Naruto's celebratory cheering. Out of the corner of her eye, she was pleased to see Shizune starting to stir and check on Ton-Ton, aided by the exhausted Seishin chuunin still by her side. It was this distraction that ensured that Sakura never saw what happened next.

There was a scream. A long drawn out wail echoed through the dingy street. Sakura spun round. She saw Naruto racing towards where the cage had been, but it was falling apart. Water splashed onto the ground. Momoka was on her knees, clutching her head, screaming… Naruto sprang. It was too late.

A green cloud rocketed out of the confusion, tearing high into the cloudy sky. Naruto sprinted up the nearest building, trying to follow… He couldn't. His hands snatched uselessly at the air over his head, but the little green speck was high above them and moving rapidly away from the village, off towards the mountains.

"He's gone," Naruto gasped, his hands dropping towards his sides, "He's gone."

"What the hell is going on here?" demanded a voice behind him. He turned, his eyes widening in surprise. There stood Ren, his arms folded and his expression glowering. "Dammit! What the hell just happened?"


	58. Chapter 7m

The commotion in the hall was deafening. Kankurou grabbed his sister's arm, preventing her from being pulled away into the throng of bodies. She huffed gratefully; snatching at the top of her fan before yet another shoulder collided hard against her smarting face. Angry voices screeched and bellowed around them, as ever more people surged into the room, jostling and jumbling up those who had come beforehand. Kankurou fought against the swirling human current to guide them both backwards against the wall and out of the deluge of living persons.

Yurika's message had been little more than an announcement that the daimyo would address his shinobi in the throne room, but it seemed to have had a cataclysmic effect on the worried ninja populace. Those that had been in the jounin commons had exited swiftly, all apparently keen on answers and a chance to get their voices heard. With little else to go on, the two Suna shinobi had followed suit, but it seemed that word had already been spread to people in other areas of the capital. The flock had quickly grown to a stampede of such proportions that the two of them had become lost and disorientated, buffeted through the ever-growing masses until they were shunted into the throne room, mere flies in a horde that was at least a hundred strong.

The sound of sandals slapping on stone echoed all around them, as did the squeaking of boot soles and the rustle of clothing. People coughed and hissed and sneezed; objects bumped and scraped and clattered; men barked and grunted; women jeered and heckled; steel clunked and wood thumped against the ground; swords rattled in their sheaths and shuriken jangled in bags and pockets; and still the cacophony carried on as endlessly as if it would never stop. Armour clanked and weapons clinked; voices raised and grew quiet; limbs smacked into one another as different coloured kimono, armour and clothing writhed in a sea of endless swimming features.

A hand gripped Kankurou's shoulder, steering him and his sister into an area more distanced from the human tide. The puppeteer turned his head, relief washing over his purple-lined features at the sight of a vaguely familiar face. Their acquaintance from earlier, the jounin Shichirobei, smirking triumphantly at their confused faces.

Before they could react however he dived through the crowd again, snatching this time at the arm of a young woman with long blonde hair. She turned in surprise and Kankurou recognised the face of a very flustered Yurika. Her ponytail whipped around her reddened and exhausted face and her eyes sported thick black bags as they glanced around distractedly. Even among the strangely dressed people in the crowd, her slim-line body suit and many bangles make her quite an eye-catching figure. It helped that she was one of the few actually wearing a Seishin flack jacket.

"Sorry, Yurika-kun," Shichirobei muttered, pulling her away by the elbow and nearly making her trip over her bare feet trip on the stony ground, "But I was hoping I would sniff you out among this lot. I thought I'd got you earlier, but you were off again so quickly…" He sighed, reaching in the inside of his flak and pulling out a heavily battered paper envelope, "This letter was in your pigeon-hole _**(1)**_ in the commons. I removed it before anyone pried, but well… I thought, given the circumstances, I should make sure you got it as soon as possible, huh?" He pressed it into her hands.

She stared blankly at him for a few minutes and then down at the envelope, until her gaze landed on the seal. Her face whitened considerably, as her eyes went wide. "Oh!" she gasped, her breathing shallow with sudden recognition. People pushed passed the pair of them and Kankurou braced his sister again, but the ponytailed jounin remained quite still. Her hands seemed to be trembling slightly. "Thank you, sensei… I…"

"Don't bother, girl," the middle-aged male jounin replied, petting her gently on the side of her shoulder, "You keep that somewhere safe now, okay?" He shook her arm kindly to get her attention as she stared hopelessly at the rectangle of folded paper in amidst the scurrying humans, apparently oblivious to them all. "Don't read it yet," he chided softly, making sure she met his gaze, as he smiled paternally at her, "You're busy. You want to keep your mind on the job… but as soon as you get a chance…" He raised his eyebrows meaningfully, patting her shoulder again.

"Yeah," she smiled back weakly, pressing the letter to her chest. She seemed a little light-heated as she stood there and even Kankurou noticed her trembling. "Thank you again, sensei," she murmured, "This… This means a lot…"

"No thanks needed," he chuckled, letting her go and scratching the back of his neck, "I just hope it's good news."

"Yeah… me too," she muttered, still blushing and grinning distractedly as she held the letter, "Thank you again." She seemed rooted to the spot, just tracing the rectangular envelope with her fingers, taking in the texture of the paper. Temari shifted uncomfortably at her brother's side.

Shichirobei nodded his head at her, indicating the teeming crowd behind her with a soft flick of his hand, "Go on now. Back to work."

"Okay," she blushed, a little embarrassed as she collected her thoughts, "Thanks…" Examining the envelope and its seal once more, she picked it up and carefully tucked it away in the inside of her flak jacket. Her hand rose into the air, giving Shichirobei a cursory wave good bye as she turned to leave… and then it fell to her side, her face falling into a frown as she noticed the pair behind him for the first time. "Oh, Kankurou-san, isn't it? And Temari-san too… What are you doing here?" she inquired, moving a little closer to the pair in surprise.

The older man shrugged, interrupting her inquiries with a weary sigh and a wave of his hand. "One of the chunnin brought them to me while I was attempting to sort out the common room. I'm supposed to be helping them locate their leader…" Kankurou gave them a half-hearted nod of confirmation, one cheek rising in a worn-out half-smile.

Yurika stopped abruptly, her hand flying to her mouth as her eyes widened. "Oh… has nobody…?" she grimaced, rolling her eyes and bouncing on her toes in frustration, "Oh of course not. Nothing's working right today… O'Kazekage-sama went with Ren up the mountain, didn't he? Sorry… Somebody should have told you sooner, but everyone's pulling the genin away half-way through their chores and…" Her hand waved in what was presumably the direction of the indicated geological feature.

"He's alright?" Temari breathed, stepping forwards, "Oh, thank goodness – I was getting worried…"

The other woman smiled kindly, her gaze sympathetic. "Nah, O'Kazekage-sama was quite fine the last time I saw him," she assured her, running a hand over her own neatly brushed hair, "He's just… doing a little sight-seeing, I guess, after all that business last night. I'll have word sent up. I'm working for the daimyo at the moment, but stick around… I'll be right back as soon as this over."

Temari closed her eyes, nodding in relief. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Yurika beamed, speaking over her shoulder as she hurried back to her duties, "It would have been done already if this place wasn't such a mess today. Sit tight now. I'll be back soon. Bye!" She disappeared, her blonde pony-tail waving through the crowd behind her.

Shichirobei chuckled and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well that makes life easier," he declared, the amusement ringing through his voice, but his demeanour became a little more serious and apologetic as he turned back to the Suna shinobi, "Sorry about earlier by the way. I lost you two trying to find _her_. Not that I knew it would prove so helpful… or I'd have fetched her earlier." He tsked loudly under his breath and shook his head. "Come on," he sighed, marching passed them to a spot against the wall not far from the door. "Over here. All these damn freeloaders won't bother us so much if we keep out of their migration route…"

They fell gratefully into place beside the local jounin. He gave them a brief once-over, apparently checking they were both in reasonably satisfactory shape, before settling himself back against the wall with his arms folded.

Not two steps away from him, Temari actually let herself collapse down on the floor, straightening the ends of her kimono as she did so. She pushed her face into her knees, obviously tired. Her brother remained standing, positioning himself between the older male and his sister, but he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger in a way that suggested he was more than just grateful for a chance to catch his breath.

As the two of them rested, Shichirobei glanced around with interest. He seemed fascinated by the goings on around their little group. His neck craned as he looked around, fidgeting against the cold stone like a worm caught on the street. Restlessly his eyes roamed the crowd and he kept whistling softly between his teeth. "Uhh, now this is big. You see those blighters in the raised chairs?" he jerked his head at several finely carved wooden litters, on which several ornately dressed and almost universally elderly people were sat, looking to a man as if they would very much like to murder everyone else in the room. Their long and delicately embroidered clothing swept down over their bearers' features, as they rode head and shoulders above the rest, eyeing the teeming multitude suspiciously from beneath many layered hairstyles and headdresses. Occasionally there were glimpses of heavily armed guards gathered around the sides of the magnificent chairs or else the sweaty-looking individuals tasked with hoisting the litters upon their shoulders and – although the human flood in the room was otherwise relentless – it did seem to still somewhat in advance of their passing.

"Clan heads: not that you couldn't have guessed that from their attitudes," the jounin chuckled coldly, the humour never quite reaching his eyes, "You can see their underlings milling around them like ants up on their hill. It's rare you see them all in the same place." He shook his head as he leaned into the wall, closing his eyes and folding his arms in satisfaction. "Looks like we've been privileged with a general summons. 'Bout time too," he declared, smacking his lips, "Someone needs to take charge of this rabble." Kankurou grunted in agreement. His sister said nothing, snuffling deeper into her knees.

One of Shichirobei's eyes opened slightly and he gave two Suna shinobi a rather more sympathetic glace. "This'll be over in a bit," he promised, lowering his voice a little, with the nearest hint of a rueful smile, "And Yurika-kun will get back here as soon as she can with news about your Kage. He'll be safe enough with our Ren-kun though. Don't worry. The lad's a good soldier. You might as well enjoy the show here. There's nothing happening before it's done, trust me on that."

Temari grunted softly, nodding in a resigned manner and her brother stooped to pat her reassuringly on the shoulder with his fingertips. His stance was a little too hunched for comfort and the exhaustion was evident despite his clownish war paint. Even his eyes remained somewhat distant as he regarded the proceedings around them.

It was a magnificent room: you had to give it that. Both Kankurou and Temari had passed through it many times before on their way to other places, but neither had ever really stopped to appreciate it. There was this incredibly vast space and yet it was also entirely private, becoming increasingly so the deeper you ventured inside.

The very first place as you entered the castle from Seishin's shinobi forecourt: its heavy granite stonework swept up into the rafters, mingling with layers of gneiss and schist as it did so. There were no windows and little natural light save that which filtered in from the massive wooden doorway, but the ornately detailed engravings carried on from the stone tiles outside until they had ascended up the neat rows of stone pillars and into the gargoyle-lined balconies. Occasionally Kankurou noticed the faint glimmer of something moving behind those looming figurines and yet the shadows up there were so dense that, even though it might well be teeming with people at the time, the obscene expressions of the intertwining stone guardians remained the only things truly visible. They dominated the walls, glaring and jeering in an eternal horrible tableau, as if everything that took place within Seishin was overseen by that grotesque court of silent, grizzly monsters.

In the space behind the arches laid out under their clawed feet, Kankurou knew there to be a number of smaller doors, similar to those found throughout the castle, which lead on to the inner chambers and some administrative rooms, even the antechamber to which he had escorted Gaara for Kage meetings with the daimyo, but all of those too were lost to the shadows, invisible in the impenetrable gloom. The only structures that could be easily made out, apart from the giant gargoyles, were the stone stairways, which swept down from the balconies to finish on a large wooden dais that dominated the far end of the room. Gigantic waxen candles dripped into their golden holders at the front of the stage and the stone behind them was lavishly hung with red velvet draperies and heavy panel screens. All of it sprawled with thick golden embroidery that formed the kanji for the word 'Seishin', 'the Mind and Emotions': the name of the country, the hidden village and even some of the people.

So it seemed rather strange that among all the opulent stonework and the lavish decorations the only focal point on the well-trodden was a small stool, barely five centimetres _**(2)**_ from the ground with faded red velvet upholstery and very worn-out clawed feet. That was the throne of Seishin, which gave this room its name. This little object was all that marked the ceremonial ties that had brought so many people to this place and it stood on its bare wooden platform as proudly as an ancient monarch… and as diminutive.

A sudden silence fell like a tidal wave, crushing each layer of human sediment in its turn. Temari rubbed the back of her neck, getting slowly back onto her feet as the mob in front of them grew still. A door slammed and loud booming footsteps resounded through the hall as a small dark figure marched up into the glowing candle light.

The daimyo thundered up onto the stage, a sinewy ensemble of aging muscle. His chains clanked against his bare chest with each sweeping movement and the strange light turned the long scar on his head an angry scarlet. He glared out at the room, before depositing himself cross-legged on the stool with his arms folded proudly over his chains.

"Whatever you've heard about some kind of attack or any other type of 'incident thing' that might of happened last night," he thundered, his voice reverberating with incredible force from such an old man, "It's all a giant bunch of cod's wallop, understood?"

There was a pause as if the whole room was waiting to hear what would follow. Nothing did. The great coiling rings of heavy steel remained almost motionless against an unmoving torso. Bitter beady eyes glared out at the crowd as the vast clawed hands lay still on those terrible biceps and the torn lips remained shut. People shuffled uncomfortably, glancing at one another. The official speech appeared to have finished with just one sentence.

One of the clan heads coughed, straightening in his chair. A portly man, whose respectable apple stomach was bulging over a sumptuous leather belt at least thirty centimetres in width _**(3)**_, he did not seem to have enough of his wiry hair left to support the large hair piece threaded through it. It wobbled precariously with each movement of his head, as the straining remains attempted to do a job that truthfully required at least twice their number.

His seat was particularly peculiar, being a large chair of dark wood that was strapped up unto the back of a giant hulking man, whose broad muscular shoulders and deep-set square head towered over the rest of the crowd. The squat luminary passenger had his short swung legs over his transporter's fur-lined vest and kicked him sharply with a pointed boot every time the chair seemed to slip downwards slightly.

"With respect, sir," he intoned, his voice sounding a trifle hoarse as he bristled within the confines of his fur-lined greatcoat, slapping a hand down on his carrier's bald head to push himself further into view, "Then why the sudden weakening in our defensive barriers? If they were not being tactically redeployed elsewhere what need is there to…"

"Indeed sire," cried another among a loud flurry of agreement. This one was a lot taller and thinner than the first and struck a much less notable figure in his low-backed bench-like sedan chair. Already a somewhat reedy figure in his thin robes and tall hat, the added height only made him seem like the indigo-wrapped topping to a festive Maypole. The way he yelled and gestured with twice the veracity of anyone else suggested that he knew it as well. "We all felt the shockwave as the physic links maintaining broke down yesterday," he declared, shifting to the edge of his seat to pound the air ferociously, much to the discomfort of those trying to keep him aloft, "The designated stones broke down in three places. There was a minor landslide in one of our valleys, even. Surely this isn't just…"

"Ah, shut up," the daimyo waved him into silence, snorting loudly as his metal claws swept the air in front of him, "All that happened is that the shinobi responsible for maintaining those barriers was suddenly… taken unwell." He paused and shrugged, allowing his hands to fall on his black uniform trousers instead. "Normal operations should resume in a few days. In the meantime we urge you to be extra vigilant and whatever."

"What do you mean 'taken unwell'?" an elderly man clad in forest green sprang to his feet so quickly that his pole-bearers wobbled unsteadily underneath him. He meant to be sitting in what seemed to be an elegant high-backed throne in a thin wooden cage, with soft decorative curtains fluttering at its corners. In actual fact he seemed to prefer strutting around on his tiny platform instead, pacing around the bare two footsteps worth of space that emitted outwards from the carved regal chair rather than sitting in it, "Surely there is a back-up for such situations…" A thin bony hand grabbed at his chair as he threatened to slip straight onto the ground, as those supporting threatened to lose their balance from his movement. Nevertheless he too had drawn heavy cries of accord from those around him. A few even waved their hands and weapons in the air, making grand gestures of their concurrence.

The daimyo however scoffed openly at the suggestion. He slapped one heavily booted foot against the stage, coiling his fingers on his now raised knee as the large blades rattled dangerously. "Just like there is a protocol for emergencies, you mean?" he scowled, the irony ladled thickly into his voice, as he glared at the assembled dignitaries, "If you lot couldn't be bothered to follow _that_ I don't see why I should go out of my way to…"

"We are talking about a national emergency here, Gunnar!" the old man retorted, bobbing up and down alarmingly as he gestured wildly from the front of his platform, "What about the unrest in the city this morning?"

"Nah," the daimyo waved him off with a shake of his jingling claws, "Nothing so dram…"

"So it's true then," the words came snapping out of the shadows in one of the alcoves beneath the western balcony. It was a female voice of a bitter nasal sound, but it was impossible to make out its owner, "The Bakemono has indeed been taken out of commission." Whispering erupted among the crowd at the words and people started to shift uncomfortably, glancing around at the other leaders for confirmation. The few faces Temari could make out in the dingy light seemed unnaturally pale.

The daimyo just emitted a low guttural growl of vexation, obviously recognising the tone. "You what now?" He shrugged in the general direction of the speaker, gesturing with his claws. The country's supreme head was too far away from Temari and Kankurou's position for his expression to be easily made out, but nevertheless they could almost feel his irritation just in those limp movements.

Ripples spread through the horde, both in reaction to the daimyo's anger and as various displaced humans shunted against one another, trying to make room for the slow procession of the low cushioned litter that inched forwards out of the darkness. The tips of four poleaxes shifted over the rows of heads at each of its corners, the lightly helmeted heads of masked shinobi guards just visible beneath each one. The slight tossing movements as they manoeuvred forwards caused the banners tied under the metal blades to quiver and unfurl slightly, just hinting at the vague outline of mountains and the sun on a red background, barely visible even in the gloom.

The decorative seat of curved padding and pillows bore the same emblem blazoned on its cushions, but the thick velvet kimono of its single occupant was almost free of any embellishments. Equally the wrinkled neck and limbs and even the large oblong bun at the back of the head were just as devoid of any ornaments, showing nothing but bare sun-blemished skin. Her varicose-lined hands coiled on her lap, her legs jutted out in front of her, wrapped in nothing but the folds over her overlong traditional dress, but the old lady remained rigid-backed and proudly erect, ignoring the jerking motions of her primitive transport as it carried her forward another precious few metres _**(4)**_.

She passed through a brighter patch of light cast by the open doors and Temari noted a particularly sour expression born by the receding lips and the pinched nose. Still there was something familiar about the square jaw-line and the shape of the eyes, but the Suna shinobi could neither place them nor bring herself to care about any possible connection in the first place.

"The daimyo-sama speaks only of a single shinobi responsible for the defensive barriers," the old woman announced, speaking only once she had been turned to be fully visible to the daimyo and never once adjusting her own position, "The sole shinobi I can think of capable of the necessary abilities to maintain a structure of such power would be the Bakemono herself."

There was an almost instant outcry. People raised their fists and demanded explanation; others turned away to mutter loudly in groups of friends… The tall thin clan leader slammed his fists into his arm rests, almost rising out of his chair, as his voice rose to the loudest cry, "Are you saying that monster…? That bloodthirsty creature…? She…?"

"It would also explain the present chaos in Seishingakure," she went on in a cold, even tone, obviously used to public speaking, "The Bakemono is in charge of the daily operations of the hidden village, is she not? Without her to issue commands to the active jounin, and reinforce their authority, it is easy to see how the regular command structure might crumble."

"Surely," exclaimed the rounded one in the fur, virtually kneeling upon his imperturbable carrier as he struggled to have his voice heard, "You can't be saying that for all this time the Bakemono has…"

There was a loud thump from the stage, cutting through the noise. The daimyo was on his feet, his clenched fists shaking at his side. His blades rattled in the glinting candlelight as he glared down at his subjects. "Seishingakure is _not_ dependent upon a single shinobi – the hime least of all!" he bellowed, striding towards the front of the dais. One hand raised upwards so that the steel claws hung menacingly in the air, as if ready to sweep down and start ripping out throats at any minute. "How dare you come to me with that kind of… of fish offal! You've all served under me for decades! You were proud in that service to this country – have a few years of peace made you lazy?" he screamed, his anger evident in every word, "Do I get no more than a handful of loyal soldiers while the rest of you wallow in your own incompetence, all your old skills rusted away with your weapons? Is that it? Have you all forgotten that you were once shinobi yourselves?"

"We are still shinobi, O'Daimyo-sama," retorted another, as yet unheard voice, from the balcony, "It is just that…"

The daimyo snarled. Many of those in the room actually flinched at the sound. "Then why don't you act like shinobi instead of a bunch of fattened idle pigs?" he roared, his shaking fist ripping through the air in front of him, "Why don't I see your precious hides training in my village? When was the last time any of you fools actually reported for duty _here_ where you belong?" He stamped his foot at the last word and fell quiet, his eyes burning holes as they swept around the room, daring anyone to give him an answer.

Uneasy silence fell over the assembled mass. No one seemed to dare to be the first to speak, choosing instead to keep their heads bowed, as they shuffled and fidgeted uneasily, sneaking glances at one another as if waiting to see who would eventually be martyred to their lord's seething rage. Of the few visible clan heads: the piggy-backed one had sunk back into his seat, leaving his mute courier alone for a change, while the taller one was examining his knees, his face turning an unhealthy ashen colour. Even the old lady had turned her head away, apparently staring at the back of one her guards' helmets in a reflective silence. The elderly man alone seemed somewhat composed, though he said nothing and actually sat down on his throne, gripping its armrests for all he was worth.

There was a cough as the uncomfortable quiet wore on, and then someone sneezed, but nobody spoke. The daimyo let his hands fall to his sides, clearly chillingly disappointed. He turned away from the crowd and snorted loudly, kicking at dust as he trudged back to his stool with an unhappy scowl that could be felt even where it was not seen.

Before he could sit down however, an unexpected sound from the gallery startled him. He paused, raising his head and then spun back around in surprise. Someone had opened and closed a door. The daimyo moved back to the front of his platform, squinting upwards at the noise of hurried footsteps and muttered apologies. That someone was pushing their way forwards to the stairs.

His eyes swept upwards, followed by nearly all the others in the hall, as not one figure but two appeared above the steps. The first was in a wheelchair, which juddered and bounced alarmingly as it was haltingly forced down the long winding flight. Its occupant hunched forward, keeping a firm grip of both the major wheels, but even with the curtain of uncombed grey-brown hair there was no mistaking the long trail of blood marking the front of her clothes.

The degree of tension in the room rose just a little at the sight. Nobody seemed to fail to notice and the nervous shuffling and whispering increased. People actually backed away from the dais as if in fear that the awkward figure of the woman might spring from her chair and attack them.

Temari didn't care. Her eyes were on the second one to emerge from the balcony and she took a halting step forward, nudging Kankurou in the ribs. "Look, it's Gaara," she whispered, her eyes wide. The other Suna shinobi did not seem to need the help, staring with a puzzled frown as he watched his baby brother descend the long staircase behind the bumping wheelchair. He was still dressed in his Kage robes, although he appeared to have discarded the hat somewhere along the line, but his identity was still glaringly obvious to anyone who cared to notice… and that too was causing comment. Kankurou's fingers twitched uncomfortably. His brother was far too exposed for his tastes.

As the front two wheels hit the stage, Naomi braced herself against the banister, pushing off against it. Her chair gild over the wooden floor to its position beside the astonished daimyo. Turning her head slightly, she exchanged a glance with the old man, which did nothing to lessen his confusion, before facing the crowd. Two of her fingers swept a stray stand of hair behind her ear as she regarded those before her. The daimyo fidgeted uncomfortably, clearly surprised at her presence, but she remained indifferent to his wishes, apparently lost in her own reflections. Gaara stepped forward, placing a hand on the backrest of the chair.

'_It's good to see you're all assembled,_' her disembodied voice informed the crowd,_ 'We've got a lot of work to do…_'

* * *

_**(1)**_ A 'pigeon' or 'cubby' hole is the name for a small (usually box-like) cubicle in which documents, letters and messages for a specific person can be left for later collection. Usually part of a large unit with one pigeon-hole per person in the office, academic building etc; and named for the similarity to the transport cages used in pigeon racing.

_**(2)**_ 5 cm is just under two inches

_**(3)**_ 30 cm is very approximately a foot in length

_**(4)**_ one metre = 1.0936133 yards (Thank you, Google)


	59. Chapter 7n

Ren's gaze was frantic as he stared around at the party, taking in the damage to the people… to the buildings… the broken masonry and shattered tiles in the tiny street before the clinic. Even before he finished, Momoka started screaming again. Her teacher stared at her, but she was still on her knees, choking out cries among the mud and water at her feet. Her body lurched forward and her hands spasmed. Agony filled her voice, echoing around the tall shadowy edifices. Naruto turned, searching for the source of the sound. Kakashi sat up, clearly worried.

The girl's whole body started to shake, as she grovelled on the ground in obvious pain. Sakura turned in alarm, but Momoka was gasping and crying as her frenzied hands tore at her sopping hair, as if she might rip it from her skin. Ren bolted to her side, even as Naruto sprang onto a lower roof attempting to see what was wrong. A final loud, unnaturally piercing scream tore through the girl's body. Then she collapsed, straight into her teacher's arms.

"What have I told you about managing your chakra?" Ren murmured, cradling Momoka's limp frame down on the muddy mess that once been a street. He pulled sticky strands of wet hair from her face, wiping away the excesses of water from her suddenly pale cheeks with his thumb, "Don't use too many big flamboyant moves one after another. It leaves you too drained and vulnerable to attack." There was a bitter, hoarseness in his voice as he rocked his student against his torso, desperately trying to warm her sodden frame.

"Sorry, Ren-sensei," she whispered, as her head collapsed against his shoulder. He grimaced, cradling her tighter against his chest. Water dripped down from her lifeless limbs, splashing down into the puddles at his feet. Her breathing came fast and ragged. "It hurts, sensei. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You did well," he murmured, holding her head pressed against his collarbone; his other arm remained wrapped around her middle, supporting her back, "But you took a psychic hit. It's messed up the chakra levels in your brain. It's okay, Momo-chan. You did well. It's all going to be okay now, alright?" There was a cracked sound to his voice as he hushed her and clasped her tightly against him, like a parent with his child. "It's all alright now, baby girl," he whispered again, stroking her hair, "I'm here. You're safe."

Sakura scrambled to her knees, crawling across the broken stone and mud to reach them. Sludge coated her knees, creeping into the open parts of her sandaled boots. Her shoulders shook and her fingertips glowed with chakra as she reached out towards the pair. Ren raised his head, shifting the darker tanned girl slightly in his arms so that the medic had better access. The expression on the face of the pink-haired kunoichi stiffened as her hand ran over still form of her patient.

Mud splattered up Naruto landed on the ground behind her, but Sakura took no notice for a change. Her features remained set in concentration as she focused solely on her work, stretching her hands over the girl still supported by her instructor. Ren eyed the shifting green glow nervously, watching it trace the outline of his student's contorted features.

Nearer the featureless expanse of the sheer walls to either side, Kakashi glanced over at Shizune. She was sitting up, regarding Sakura with a frown. The Seishin chuunin at her side was checking on her pet wolf, running her fingers through its fur as it lay on the ground by her knees. The tail wagged briefly at its mistress's touch, but even so both of them kept shooting worried glances at Ren and Momoka.

Naruto took a step forwards, just as Kakashi stumbled to his feet, testing his injured side carefully. "She gonna be okay?" the whisker-marked blonde inquired, leaning over his female team mate's crouching form. One hand landed heavily on her shoulder.

Sakura sat up, knocking him away with a distracted wave, and exhaled loudly. There was a slight smile on her face. "Yeah, she'll recover," the medic ninja announced, giving Ren a reassuring glance, as she rubbed down her hands on her already filthy apron-skirt, "Just have a bit of a migraine for a while. The attack was really primitive. It didn't do much actual damage. Just upset her concentration and made it impossible to hold her jutsu."

"Thank goodness," the man breathed, pulling his pupil back into a tighter embrace, "You hear that, Momo-chan? You're gonna be just fine." He murmured into the girl's ear, cradling her head with one hand. There was a weak moan of protest from the exhausted, hurting kunoichi and Sakura gently peeled him from her patient before she got crushed.

With a sigh he sat up and let the medic ninja take over the care of his student. As Momoka's limp frame lolled into Sakura's waiting arms, Ren pressed both hands down on one bent knee, pushing himself back upright. He regarded the worn-out pack of shinobi around him, finally settling on Naruto and Kakashi as the most alert and least distracted.

"So what happened exactly?" he repeated, folding his arms with another careful glance down at his student, who was now resting in Sakura's lap. Shizune was also stumbling across the broken pathway, hurried adjusting her black kimono-dress, as she got ready to help out with the medical affair. Ton-ton whined loudly at her leaving, staggering up onto its trotters and attempting to follow. The Seishin wolf raised its head and puffed loudly at the noise. Its mistress scratched its ears thoughtfully.

"That kid from the medical centre woke up and went mad on us," Kakashi explained with a shrug, wincing as he held his side. Clearly Sakura's hurried care wasn't entirely finished. The pink haired girl glanced up guiltily.

Ren brow creased and he contemplated the damage around them, his arms still folded and his lower lip jutting forward in a quizzical expression. "Just the kid?" he mumbled, glancing across at Kakashi.

The one-eyed ninja blinked. "Pardon?"

"That's it?" Ren repeated, the churned-up mud squelching under his feet as he turned to give him slightly more of his attention, "Just the kid? Nothing else?" A hand gestured in a large arc at their surroundings.

"Well… yeah," Naruto mumbled, scratching the back of his neck in surprise, "Did you see what it did?" Kakashi merely raised his eyebrow. The legs of the orange tracksuit were coated in mud, but otherwise Naruto at least looked relatively unharmed. Momoka mumbled something as Sakura tried to move her.

Ren shook his head, the corner of his mouth contorting thoughtfully. Tapping a piece of broken masonry with his foot, he stared down at the ground and sighed deeply. "That makes no sense," he whispered, pulling his folded arms closer to his chest and searching the sky as if he might find inspiration there. Naruto gaped at him.

Kakashi glowered. His arms were also crossed, similarly to Ren's, but the expression on his face was far darker. "What do you mean?"

Hesitating, the Seishin ninja let his eyes roam the buildings again. Great big dingy walls were all that returned the stare, save for the occasional half-concealed window or gargoyle. Nothing stirred on the occasional low-slung roofs either, not even the wind now that the fight had finished. "My sister said this down here was only half the problem…" Ren's hands twitched uselessly against his elbows. Sakura frowned, half-listening as she and Shizune hoisted the semi-conscious Momoka up between them.

The jounin from Konoha sighed, following the pattern of the other man's gaze with his own. "Well," he declared with an air of finality, raising his eyebrow at Ren, "This would seem to be all 'down here'. Perhaps what you are looking for is elsewhere?" Kakashi flicked a hand up and outwards in an all-encompassing gesture.

"Elsewh…" Ren echoed, glancing across at him. He followed the vague random direction of the movement and then his features froze as a thought hit him. "Oh no," he mumbled, the colour draining from his face. His eyes suddenly widened. "No," he repeated, snatching at his hair, "Please no. No." He turned in a slow jolting circle, his hands still clutching his head, as if he was unable to process the thoughts going through his mind if he stayed still.

"What's up?" Naruto shifted, clearly worried.

"My sister…" Ren muttered, biting his lip as his frantic gaze caught on the boy, "She's been out of commission, hasn't she? Unconscious?" He eyed the buildings around them nervously. His breathing became ever more shallow and rapid and he rubbed his face with his hands, half-falling several steps backwards in his need to be moving.

Naruto's eyes widened and he sprang forwards, snatching at Ren's sleeves. "She has?" he cried, alarm sounding through every syllable, "Is Nee-san okay?" Sakura punched the boy in the side, calming him without otherwise distracting herself. Naruto glared at her in confusion, rubbing the aching area as he picked himself off the ground.

"Well… yeah…" Sakura was still frowning at the Seishin ninja, her remaining hand resting uselessly on Momoka's sides as she stared at the man. Shizune paused too, one of their patient's arms slung around her shoulder, as she tried to hoist the girl into an upright position.

Ren barely seemed to notice. "The moment she went down," he breathed, as even his hands fell limply to his sides, suddenly still. His eyes were fixed upwards on the looming parapets of Seishin's walls that outlined the entire horizon. "So would the defensive barriers around the city," his hands twitched helplessly as he formed the words; his jaw slightly agape, despite the fact that he was speaking, "All the early warning systems she uses to keep on top of the comings and goings in the mountains… to prevent a sneak attack on the city…"

Kakashi's eye widened, "You mean…" Sakura stared at him helplessly from her teacher to the other jounin and back again. Shizune stiffened, her eyes wide. The Seishin chuunin and her wolf scrambled to their feet in the distance… and Naruto just sat there, unusually still, gawping at a blank space in front of him.

Ren was already bounding across the nearby walls, using chakra to propel himself to the highest point he could find. His half-long hair whipped in the wind and the loose-fitting ninja clothes ballooned against his skin, but he didn't seem to care. Reeling like cat, he sprang on all fours, cartwheeling himself up towards the steepled point of a guard post. Naruto bolted to his side, coming to a stop on a small rooftop that just happened to give them vantage up and over the main walls.

The jounin only gave him a cursory glance, before turning his attention back to what had brought him there. Naruto wasn't paying him any heed as it was. His face wide in horror, the boy stared at the surrounding mountains. "Oh no…"

Kakashi landed beside him with a muffled thud. "Looks like the kid's called reinforcements," he muttered coolly, taking in the sight as he righted himself by Naruto's shoulder.

Thick green smoke blossomed against the eastern horizon, splashing upwards into the misty haze of the overall mid-morning blue. It trailed down over the main road, washing over the fields and trees, entangling itself on the landscape and swamping away its natural colour and shape. It billowed and furled like a living creature in the distance and, with a sudden horrible dread, Naruto felt like he could hear the cries of its tiny grey creators carried faintly on the breeze towards him. His knees weakened at the thought.

Ren closed his eyes, running his hand over his forehead. "Just how the hell did that happen?"

* * *

Welcome to the end of Chapter 7. We didn't quite get everything I hoped for done, but we're getting there. For all of you who need help with your reviews, the review form is below. Remember I'm happy with just scores (just put down the first number that comes into your head), but comments underneath are equally welcome! ;0)

o/** Plot development? _/10**

o/ **Use of characters? _/10**

o/ **Description? _/10**

o/ **Inconsistencies with cannon plot? Characters in-character as regards to the original work? _/10**

o/ **Overall quality of the writing? Easy to read? Grammar and Spelling? _/10**

o/ **Enjoyment? An engaging read? _/10**

o/ **Overall? _/10**


	60. Chapter 8a

Hello my pretty, pretty chickadees and welcome to Chapter 8 (& my 60th SWB installment)! We got here! I was hoping I'd get to all of this in the last chapter, but no matter… I should have known better really. For those of you used to receiving reviews from me, you'll note I broke some of my own rules in the intro scene of this chapter. In fact I did it on purpose. I wanted that slightly rougher feel to the text. You'll have to let me know how you think it works.

Speaking of reviews, you know you don't have to be intimidated by the review form. Just review however you like. It's only there as a help if you want it. You know, for those of you on ff-dot-net, a review can really act as sort of a bookmark, letting you pick up the story from where you left off in your review history. Just saying…

Oh, I keep forgetting to mention: you know there are loads of SWB info sheets and pictures up on my website for those of you interested. You can find the link on my profile, where you can also a character popularity poll... You know like the ones they have in Manga magazines? I figured since this story by necessity has a lot of original characters it'd be interesting to try something similar, although for ages the only response was someone who said 'they didn't particularly like any of my characters'. I was actually quite grateful for that - it was a valid comment. I didn't try very hard to make my original characters likable and in fact deliberately kept the reader disengaged from them. Nowadays of course, Naomi's winning... with one vote.

Anyway, my thanks this time around go to: _Lieutenant Winter_, _Shifuni_ (of course), _Lily_, _Angelic Snowdrop_ (formerly Lenore-Light), _Regin_, _smileintothechoas_ and _Rain _(Yes, I am British and thank you for some very insightful reviews). From TONFA I would like to thank: _silverwolf1213_, _Uchiha Sasaui_, _DeadManTyping_ and _WinterzDream_.

For all of you, here is Chapter 8!

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_Standing at the top of the stairs, the cool air assaulted her little bare legs and feet, as the girl listened to the screaming. Alone in the cold, the plain cotton nightgown hung badly on the child's wiry frame. The woman's screaming echoed right through her. She could taste the fear, the overwhelming terror and frustration that were causing this berserk rage. It crippled her, paralyzing her so badly she was conscious of nothing but burning pain in every limb. She felt what the woman was doing, could feel the stinging sensations in her palms from the items she shattered, felt the dull ache from the beating of limbs on the furniture and yet she could do nothing, save stand there and listen to the screaming and the smashing._

_There was a different world down there, she knew and she could feel it tugging at her even from the stairs. A world where tiny things like lights and colours and shapes had deep and intricate meanings; a world where threats lurked in shadows and whispered or grasped at you like snakes; a world where the shape of a discarded scarf could make you scream and cry, filling your mind with visions and significance until it made your brain hurt inside your head. It revolved around that woman and all that woman was trying to do was make it right, calm it down, so that she had space to think and breathe._

_The child knew that. She wanted to help her. She desperately wanted to help her… and yet she couldn't move. Something alien was sitting in her breast, telling her to keep her distance, to stay out of that whirlpool of images and emotion, to stay away from that woman. With a jolt, she realised it was her own fear._

_She raised her short-cropped head. The far door opened a crack. Only the three children slept above those stairs, each in their own room. A pudgy little face peered out at her through the darkness, stubby fingers clutched at the frame. It froze when it noticed her, the huge eyes even bigger in fright._

"_O'Toutou-sama, O'Nii-sama is in his room. Go see him." He was also awake, she knew, sitting up in bed, as disturbed by the screaming as she was – as the little boy was – but she would be the only one to wait out here. If the woman did not settle soon, she would also have to be one to go downstairs. It was better than risking her coming up here…_

_The smaller child backed away a little, clearly as afraid of the sight of the girl as of the noise, but with an effort she turned her head away, deliberately staring at the wall. After a few seconds, the pattering of little running feet told her what she already knew. The infant had taken her suggestion. She felt the irritation of her twin as he shifted off his bed and went to answer the door after the toddler's tentative attempts to open it. The world below was tugging at her very soul. If only it would stop. Just for a minute, let it stop…_

"_Hey, what do you want?" She felt the shift in his attention as he noticed her; felt the surge of hatred as if it had been her own. Her eyes remained on the wall. She didn't move. Another yell resounded up the stairs. Their father would be home soon, if the woman wasn't quiet by then…_

_The older brother shifted. She could feel his irritation, his anger, the fear he tried to hide… "Okay, you can sleep in here. Just don't wet the bed again, okay?" He slammed the door behind them._

_After a while, the screaming stopped and the little girl went back to bed._

* * *

'_There was no attack last night, regardless of the many conspiracy theories,_' Seishin's princess continued, regarding the assembled crowd with her arms folded. Her eerie disembodied voice cut across the room, echoing through the many hidden corners and alcoves even without the aid of her lips. It wasn't the quiet melodious sound she usually employed either, but a sterner harsher tone that made her audience shiver even as they searched for the source of it.

Beside her, the daimyo stiffened, tilting his head as he gauged her activities, unsure what to think. The Kazekage remained behind the chair, his fingers tensed as he took in the host of Seishin natives before the platform. They eyed him with an almost equal curiosity, uncertain of his reasons for being there, especially with somebody as disturbing as their bakemono. The faces he could make out near the front all seemed pale and terrified.

Seishin's hime was barely paying heed to either of her companions. The lambent candlelight cast strange shadows over her face, throwing her eyes into a darkened regress. Her figure was motionless at the front of the dais, her arms laid down on the chair's rests and her hair gathered on her shoulders, obscuring her bandaged neck in the half-light. The dried blood however was prominent all down the front of her clothes. With a jolt, Gaara realised he was one of only a few who would know that it was her own.

'_But there is one today,' _the voice echoed through the great hall again, as she raised her head, messy hair tumbling around her face,_ 'Since you've all been kind enough to report in, I expect you to take up your positions among the troops immediately_.' Her words hit the assembled mass like a tidal wave.

Instant furore exploded through the crowd, as people began to yell and panic all at once. Fists were raised, weapons were drawn and others turned blindly to see what was happening, as everyone struggled to make themselves heard. The daimyo stared at her in shock, clearly taken aback at her announcement. He glanced from her to Gaara, who nodded only once and tightened his grip on the back of her armchair. Seishin's leader closed his eyes, hissing a curse under his breath.

"And what right do you have to order us to do anything?" one of the clan heads demanded, his blaring voice ringing from the alcoves, "The daimyo…"

Naomi slammed her hands down hard on the armrests, pushing herself forward in her chair. The wheels skidded from the force of her movement. '_I am the active commander of Seishingakure,'_she growled, venom lashing itself into every word. Eyes snapped forwards and bodies froze among the crowd, just from the sheer force of it, _'By appointment from the daimyo, if you remember_. _Any Seishin shinobi here in a time of crisis reports directly to me._'

There was an awkward silence. The tangible embarrassment was almost equal to that displayed at the daimyo's reprimand. Nearer the front, the tall thin clan leader breathed an audible sigh. "And why is this a time of crisis?" he snapped, leaning forward in his chair, "Seems to me if you had been doing your job…" His hands spread upwards and out in a vague cupping gesture, the sarcasm dripping from his tone.

Her face growing visibly darker, Naomi shifted in her seat until she was staring directly into the man's eyes. The front few rows seemed to back away slightly at the sight of her expression. '_When the barriers went down there should still have been patrols covering the area. There would have been if the hidden village had not descended into chaos_,' her voice crept into the collective consciousness as a low seething hiss. The man shrank away with visible embarrassment, his courage deserting him, but she did not let up, continuing instead with the same icy stare, '_I am not going to deny responsibility for what happened. It seems I have failed to sufficiently enforce the authority of my active jounin against that of the traditional clans. Had I done better, they would not have spent today chasing their chuunin and genin teams around, after others pulled them from their regular duties. It is something that will be investigated. Right now however there is an attack to deal with.' _The voice grew in strength and volume at this last part, inflicting obedience rather than demanding it. The crowd was very still now. _'All of those capable of baring arms report to Shichirobei-san and Jumonji-san immediately,' _she went on, turning her head to address the whole crowd, her tone very curt now,_ 'Long range fighters and medical specialists are to see Galileo-san. My remaining jounin will concentrate on organising their teams into a rough horseshoe formation, ready to protect the city._' The princess sat still in her seat as if waiting for something. Gaara could see the way her fingers twitched.

Right on queue, the rotund clan head in the fur-lined cloak raised himself on the shoulders of the one tasked with carrying him. He coughed slightly, a little more hesitant about speaking than his colleague had been earlier. "And why should we do what you…?"

'_Because I told you to_,' she retorted coldly, sitting back in her chair, '_Dismissed._'


	61. Chapter 8b

Fields curled around the eastern city, wrapped in the shallow mountain footfalls. Precious strips of living land pushed out rows of rice, grain and the hard woody purple-leaved plants of the native vegetables. Much of the population depended upon those vital scraps of safe and fertile soil, especially in the capital. It ensured the people's survival, kept their bellies full… and the enemy, by design or not, seemed to be exploiting that very fact.

Thick green smog boiled up over the cloudy horizon, trickling down over the roads and farmland, wafting into the air in great fungal bursts. It rolled over the thin hedgerows and swallowed up the delicate plantlife laboriously raised in the stony loam. It saturated the landscape, tumbling down from the grey-blue sky as it bled and ate its way into the centre of the valley… and killed everything it touched.

Brief glimpses through the opaque green revealed bare trees and burned black fields, scorched as if by acid. The once lush vegetation was left brown and lifeless, the soil suffocated and dry beneath it, as if it would never bear fruit again. Stray goats and chickens – left behind during the evacuation – bolted screaming down the hillside, struggling to stay abreast of the encroaching green mist. The cries of those who didn't make it were too terrible to listen too.

Naruto could hear the way Ren ground his teeth as they watched from behind clumps of thorny bramble. Sakura, beside them, was putting the finishing touches to Kakashi's bandaged side. He winched occasionally, but kept his eyes on the main eastern road that swept up into the swirling mass of putrid green. The tiny creatures weren't visible in the nearby fog, but the wind carried the sound of chattering and clicking drawing steadily closer. Ren closed his eyes, biting his lip.

Sudden loud barking startled them upright, the Seishin jounin nearly slipping down into trampled earth from shock. Ren pressed his fist down into the clumpy soil as he shifted his weight, toppling down on his knees. He raised an eyebrow at what he could see approaching. Sakura grinned, despite what she was doing, and Naruto actually burst out laughing. He rubbed his grubby hands against his forehead, his eyes sparkling, until the glare from Ren silenced him. The man's face was lined with stern disapproval.

A large brown wolf galloped up towards them, wagging its tail as it panted with obvious self-satisfaction. Kakashi sighed loudly, less easily amused than his subordinates, but the canine bounced unabashed back and forth in front of them, its muzzle jerking back over its shoulder as it tried to check on a person following behind. It barked loudly, its bright black eyes full of self-satisfaction.

Sakura giggled and Ren sighed softly, straightening slightly to peer across the rows of purple tinted leaves. Kai was hurrying over the deep furrows, half-stumbling half-running as he tried not to slip on the stony valley loam. The wolf charged through a thick row of purple sprouts, yapping loudly as it circled the boy and guided him back towards the others. The noise resounded oddly on the battlefield and Kakashi winced, glancing across at the thickening green cloud on the landscape.

"Sorry, sensei," the boy gasped, clutching at his knees as he doubled other as tried to catch his breath, "I came as soon as I heard. The other jounin teams should be right behind me. Oh, shut up you." He made a half-hearted snatch at the wolf's ears to calm it down, but it jerked out of reach and started circling him again. Its snout high in the air as it paraded proudly in front of the group of humans.

"Things must be dire if they've drummed you out of bed," Ren grunted, seemingly placated and he reached forwards to ruffle his student's hair slightly, "I see Gin-kun's even leant you her mutt." Suddenly the canine stopped wagging its tail. It whined loudly, the lean bristly body unusually still. "Sorry… wolf," the jounin corrected himself, rolling his eyes, "It was nice of her, but you really should be able to find your own team without extra help." The boy's expression fell slightly, but Ren was still eyeing the canine with concern, "Besides she'll need her partner back by her side if she ends up fighting."

"She said not to worry," Kai replied with a shrug, crouching down near his jounin-instructor, "Apparently Cooks will find her if need be." The wolf settled itself beside him, thumping its tail hard in approval. Absent-mindedly the young chuunin scratched its ears. Ren shook his head, sighing under his breath as he returned his attention to the burgeoning threat.

Kakashi tilted his head back, eyeing the approaching green. Sakura gave his side a final pat and moved away in apparent satisfaction. Her face grew darker as she followed her mentor's gaze. Unconsciously readying herself for action, she felt her posture stiffen and her fingers clench around the curve of her knee. Naruto felt himself sober up just by watching her. His stance mimicked hers by instinct as he leant forward to regard the road.

"So anyone have any thoughts on how to fight those things?" the Konoha jounin muttered, scratching the side of his head with his slanted forehead protector.

His blonde subordinate's face slowly became more rigid as he regarded the toxic green cloud. The habitual smile had faded away and Naruto fingered his weapons pouch, apparently lost in thought. "We charge in and hit them really hard?" he offered with a shrug.

Kakashi sighed loudly, turning away as he raised his one visible eye heavenward. Caught somewhere between exasperation and amusement himself, Ren merely snorted and shook his head. "Great," he mumbled sardonically, rubbing his brow, "Any other ideas?"

"We hit them even harder?" Kai put in, flashing the group a grin. He then had to duck as Sakura threw a clump of earth at his head. Before he could recover, his sensei flicked the side of his head for good measure.

"Alright," Ren announced, tensing into a tighter crouch, as Kai scowled and crawled onto his knees again, rubbing his crown, "I'm gonna try something." Before them the road still headed up into an unfurling veridian cloud, a lonely track of beaten earth flanked on each side by a trembling line of trees. The thin branches shivered in the disrupted wind. Swirling gritty smoke tendrils lashed out at the air, clawing at it and slapping it away until even the dried leaves on the ground rustled uncontrollably as they flittered back and forth in the opposing forces. Nearby fields had already fallen, gradually filling with a seeping acidic fog. Something screamed and the wolf flattened its ears instinctively, whinnied softly in protest. Kai distractedly rubbed the fur on its scalp the wrong way.

One of the Seishin jounin's hands rested on a nearby branch, his jaw set in grim determination. "Kai-kun, you watch my back and take the left flank… with the wolf, if you like," he declared, rising up into tightly wound crouch, "Naruto-san, Kakashi-san, Sakura-san – will you guys be okay with the right? We just need to hold them up until the others get here." He eyed the other three ninja with a tilt of his head, gauging their response.

"Bring it," Kakashi laughed mirthlessly. Sakura smiled and nodded, pulling on her gloves. Naruto's fingers twitched over his kunai pouch. Even Kai gave him a jerky thumbs-up. The wolf thumped its tail, scrambling back upright again.

Ren tensed tighter, ready to spring. "Alright then…" he mumbled, sucking in a particularly deep breath, "Now." He vaulted over the hedge, flicking through hand seals at a rate of knots. Before he even hit it, the ground shuddered beneath him. Well-worn earth exploded upwards, ripping a giant chasm down the length of the road. Displaced dirt ballooned into the air, like a dense brown mushroom budding in the sky. Ren landed neatly underneath, his arms raised over his head.

Kai was racing up along the left, his necklace already swirling in his hand and growing with every second. A large pulsing bludgeon of coral, it whistled over the neatly tended fields as it tore through the empty air. On the opposite side, Naruto was already sprinting away from one of his shadow clones, a fully formed Rasengan in his hand; Sakura and Kakashi weaving through the trees in his wake.

The dusty cloud hovered above them for just a second, a swirling mass of clumping soil. Ren clenched his fists, thrusting them forwards. The earth threw itself at the green fog, forming into a thousand tiny needles as it did so. Bursting into the green smoke, they dispersed some of its obtrusive power. A number of them even found a more solid mark. Sharp clicking cries resounded from the green, full of visceral rage and pain.

Eyes narrowing, Kai yanked on his necklace, bracing his feet. Naruto catapulted forward, plunging his swirling ball of chakra straight into the centre of the acid green fumes.

Something screamed. Naruto held firm, the Rasengan whirling in his palm. Putrid smoke whirled into a tornado from the sheer strength the jutsu. Leaves and twigs pelted his body, ripped from the ground and trees in the tearing winds. Naruto shuddered from the twisting vibrations… and the coral flail smashed into the fog underneath him, tearing through its centre and cutting the noxious cloud in half.

Grey faces peered out at them from the emerging clear space. Long spindly fingers clutched at thin air, snatching at the unwelcome void. Something laughed. Sakura actually felt the chills running down her spine at the eerie high-pitched sound as she paused among the branches for a second.

Naruto yelped, loosing his balance. Something had snagged against his palm. He watched helplessly, his limbs moving madly in free-fall, as the Rasengan unravelled and the smoke snapped back into its earlier position. Kai hurried to cover his retreat with a swing of his reef weapon, as the Konoha boy thudded hard against the ground.

"Dammit," Ren cursed under his breath, pulling back his hands in frustration. Something had akso clearly disrupted his jutsu and from the disjointed way he was moving his hands he wasn't getting control back any time soon.

Kai was already having problems of his own. Shells smashed as a solid mass emerged from the green smoky haze. The chuunin yanked on his necklace, but it seemed to be caught. Kai snarled in frustration, but poised on the other side of the road, Kakashi was already weaving hand seals at a speed too fast to follow. He took a single step backwards, stretching out a hand. A long spurt of water issued from his mouth, knocking back the fog.

Naruto tossed back his head in amazement as the water gushed above him, hitting the spot where Kai's weapon was held. As the green smoke washed away, earthen poles were revealed issuing up from the ground in a criss-cross pattern. Holding the necklace locked between them, they provided a sort of barrier defence to whatever lay beyond their reach.

It wasn't an advantage destined to last however. The impact of the water shook the soil fence, slickening it and turning its outer layers to mud. Kakashi instantly replaced his mask as the flow ceased from his mouth, winking at the Seishin chuunin. The swollen coral loosing in the mud, Kai gave an almighty tug and wrenched his long reef-based flail free again. He glanced at his teacher for support.

Ren drew his lips into a firm line, as he remained poised in the middle of the road. He shot a determined glance across at Sakura, loading it with subtle implication. She gave the bottom of her gloves a meaningful tug and nodded. "Kai!" the jounin yelled, spreading his arms wide. Sakura raced forward as the Seishin boy hurriedly started to swing his flail over his head, gaining momentum again.

Naruto yelped and scrambled to his feet. Sakura's fist hit the already fractured road. Her teammate barely managed to leap out of the way in time. Behind him, the ground scattered from the fist's impact. Fragments of earth flew upwards, scattering in the twisted winds. Clumps of displaced soil sprayed across the ground, spattering everything with damp brown. Around them, the trees shook and the hedgerows trembled from the sheer force of the blow. Breaking through the remains of the cleft Ren had cut, an even greater crater ripped forwards into the smoke, shaking up the foundation of the earthen fence. The muddy pillars shook viciously in the onslaught, losing their shape and breaking apart… and the intertwining fence slid outwards, sagging in on itself. Sakura panted heavily, one hand resting on her knee as she surveyed her handiwork. The pillars drooped still further in the aftermath. She grinned wickedly.

Right on cue, Kai's chakra-saturated coral smashed into a nearby treeline, breaking through the trunks in a single swing. He glanced across at his teacher, but Ren had already slapped his hands together, brow furrowed. As the fingers pressed against one another, the trees rose, a little unsteadily, upwards. The broken trunks quavered awkwardly, twisting and turning in their unfamiliar flight. Aspen and beech branches twirled against the sky, their rustling foliage kissing the air as they moved.

Closing his eyes, Ren slowly moved forwards, leaning forward with his hands. The trees bounded in the air, bouncing into place with sudden dynamism. Branches ripping from their trunks, the giant plants smashed through the earthen fence, burying themselves deep in the upturned ground. The terrain tumbled up around them as they ploughed deep into the terrain, finishing as a dusty heap of soil and wood. Traces of green smoke drifted upwards from the wreckage. Tail wagging madly, the wolf leapt over the hedgerow and howled loudly in appreciation. Ren dropped his hand, pulling himself back upright and raising a satisfied eyebrow towards the others. The earthen defences were now utterly decimated.

"Alright, _dattebayo_," Naruto punched the air, whopping happily at the sight.

Kakashi slapped him on the shoulder. "You're up again!" he prompted, readying his own weapons even as he spoke.

"Right," Naruto raced forwards, leaping through the mess of fallen branches, his sensei keeping hot on his hells.

"Wow," the blonde ninja stopped still, his arms pushing against the dense leaves near the top of the pile.

"Looks like this isn't over yet," Kakashi sighed behind him.


	62. Chapter 8c

Wind whistled along the top of the battlements, bringing with it an icy chill that invaded coats and coverings, let alone standard desert shinobi gear. Gaara felt his sand armour thicken, individual layers of it snaking and condensing over his skin, as he watched Naomi in quiet conversation with the daimyo. Kankurou and Temari too were fidgety and nervous behind him, unsettled by the turn of events, but he ignored them. His gaze was on her.

The breeze whispered through her grey-brown hair, messing up the tired stands still further. Her part of the conversation was held through private genjutsu, but she kept her eyes fixed on the horizon rather than the only one who could hear her words. Whatever was said was clearly making the daimyo angry, his face distorting further with every minute spent under the grey-blue sky. She on the other hand remained almost immobile and heavily hunched in her chair. Her whole body seemed tense as her gaze swept over the misty landscape and only her fingers twitched awkwardly in her lap. Gaara could see the way worry-lines that marked her face deepened with every passing sentence. She was even biting her lip, drawing her arms closer to herself as her genjutsu continued speaking for her. The bloodied fabric of her fluted short-sleeved top still clung awkwardly to her torso and the once flouncy lace skirts were weighted down by encrusted red stains. Around her shins, the ribbons that secured her shoes were starting to unravel.

Oblivious to the cold, the still bare-chested old man paced the floor, his arms folded. Apart from his evident preoccupation with the voice that echoed in his ears alone, he remained as seemingly insensible towards his second-in-command as everyone else. His chains clanked with every movement and his blades rattled menacingly at his sides. Imbibing the protruding part of his lower lip, he clenched his jaw and seethed, even if his rage appeared to be directed more at himself than at her. Stomping his boots on the floor, he barked questions at his second-in-command – seemingly always unsatisfied with the answers. A knot worked on his forehead, distorting the long scar over his eye with every twitch. Genuine worry seemed to haunt his features and every time he seemed close to a resolution a fresh burst of angry questions would spew from his mouth, sending him into a fresh frenzy.

Gaara clenched his fingers slightly as he observed the conversation, fighting the frown that hovered around his non-existent eyebrows. Naomi's skin still looked so pale. Instead of the milky and white splotches he was used to, her whole complexion was slowly turning increasingly ashen, becoming greyer and almost translucent in colour. Dark sagging circles marked her eyes and her once brown freckles seemed to be mere monochrome smudges on her face. Something about her expression and her movement seemed unusually stiff to Gaara as well. Her eyes felt more vacant and distant than the polite formal smile she usually employed around the castle guests. He guessed she was in pain and, knowing she would fight any traces of it out of her countenance, he figured it had to be pretty severe if it was showing enough for him to notice.

Beside him, Tsunade was also eyeing the Seishin princess. As she did so, however, her face was twisted into a scowl so thick she might have spread it on toast. Haori draping down from her squared shoulders like a cloak, she folded her arms beneath her colossal cleavage and let a notable tick work away on her forehead. The toe of her high-heeled sandal ground itself against the stone so hard that it was bound to leave a mark. Just standing next to her was giving Gaara goosebumps and the ever-attendant Shizune was cowering behind his dumbfounded siblings, pet pig clutched protectively to her bosom.

Clearly the Hokage did not appreciate having a critical patient from less than twenty-four hours earlier up, active and organising civic defences. Said patient on the other hand, as quick as she normally was to pick up on her guests most minor discomforts, showed no sign of responding to Tsunade's brewing temper… and the Hokage did not like being ignored.

Biting his own lip in amused frustration, the Kazekage pushed his hands deeper into the sleeves of his robes and shook his head. His expression darkened. Where they stood, huddled in a group on the battlements of one of smaller castle towers, they had an unrivalled view of the valley around them and the outlook wasn't good. Green smoke still poured down from the eastern sky, swallowing the verdant countryside and destroying everything in its wake. Panic was consuming the city below them. People were milling the streets, shouting and bleating like cattle, as frantic genin leapt across rooftops, attempting to usher them towards shelters. The higher level shinobi had infected the walls of the hidden city and the castle like ants, strewn around the battlements shouting orders or racing from post to post in a kind of mad chaotic dance, but as the daimyo and his second-in-command conducted their hurried briefing, things around them were taking shape. War machines appeared from nowhere, steadily erected beam by beam on the walls by their attendant troops like insects nursing their larvae. Small swarms of tiny black figures clustered around the walls as the close combat teams prepared to defend the city. Like a slowly awakening tiger, Seishin was stretching her claws and arching her back, gearing herself up for battle.

Long auburn hair fluttering in the breeze not far away from the group, the Mizukage leaned over a granite wall to take in the sight. She sighed and shook her head contemplatively, glancing sideways at her stoic bodyguard Ao. His arms were folded over his chest; his dark teal kimono draped over his turtleneck and ninja gear. The body beneath them remained lean and muscular even in late middle age and he provided a tall, imposing presence beside his frowning superior, surveying the landscape with his sliver-blue hair swept back into a spike as pointed as his chin. His countenance remained as much a picture of serenity as a clear, untouched lake; the faintest hint of ripples hidden deep beneath the eye-patch and the fluttering paper tags, hung like earrings on either side of his face.

Where Ao was calm and stoic, his bespectacled counterpart Choujuurou appeared as clashing waves of nerves, full of conflicting currents of agitation and self-doubt. He couldn't stay still, bobbing on the toes of his sandals with his thin fingers sneaking towards the giant blade wrapped on his back. His messy cyan hair was cropped closer to his rounded features and his ninja gear was similar to Ao's, with the long striped sweater and the symbol of Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist, proudly displayed on the front of his small strappy flak jacket, but beside his companions he always appeared diminished – his youth and uncertainty belying his status as one of the elite Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi of Iwagakure had no such problems being both far taller – and, in Akatsuchi's case, far wider – than the dwarfish Tsuchikage. They flanked him in their burgundy and brown uniforms, the flowing rounded sleeves and right-sided coattails draping over their shorts and fishnet leg supports. The wide open smile and bright gold of Akatsuchi's scarf contrasted sharply with the dark hair and gloves of the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, but it wasn't just that. Her brow was heavily pinched as she scrutinised the spectacle, something of her grandparent's sharp expression echoing through it even as she glanced at him for assurance. Their leader merely stiffened, the line of his mouth tightening still further under her gaze.

It wasn't a presence of mind shared by the Raikage's team, although the silent glares of the man himself seemed to be trying to enforce it. Darui slumped against the wall of a watch tower, his toned cappuccino-coloured arms folded over his high-collared black vest and his triangular Cloud flack jacket. The slow steady rhythmic rise and fall of his chest and gentle bobbing up and down of his pale triangular fringe suggested that he had in fact fallen asleep.

Broader and wider than his counterpart and in fact anyone other than the Raikage, Killer B was squatting on the flagstone floor beside him, notebook open on his lap as his pencil moved in a continuous scrawl. A great hulking figure of a man, almost completely muscles and nothing else, he hunched over the tiny rectangular shape with rapture. The cold didn't seem to bother him anymore than Seishin's daimyo and the only reason he was wearing more than the old man was for the necessity symbolism of the flack covering his torso in white triangles. It matched the colour of his hair, which was pulled back under the similarly-coloured fabric of his hitai-ate, and also the long scarf draped around his neck. Even his wrist and shin guards, worn over long black trousers and ninja sandals were white with thick red highlights. Despite that though, he remained still on the floor, hunched over his tiny book. Only his lips moved in concentration as he ignored everything else around him. His 'brother', A, looked about ready to kick him.

"Blast it!" the daimyo snapped, punching the air above the wheelchair. His blades sang from the force of the thrust, vibrating as they hovered in the torn wickerwork. Biting vehemence sizzled from every syllable in the cry, echoing around the now silent parapet. The man's very limbs shook with fury; his expression, a snarl. Gaara moved forward involuntarily, as Kankurou, and even the Raikage, started upright in alarm. Killer B actually glanced up from his notebook.

The feudal lord closed his eyes, breathing deeply in sudden strangled gasps as he remained tense and bowed. Tsunade and the Tsuchikage exchanged worried looks. Choujuurou had inched backwards a little, annoying Ao. Akatsuchi seemed slightly frightened. Kurotsuchi stared at her grandfather as if demanding an explanation.

Seishin's princess, alone, didn't move at all as the blades grazed the top of her straggly mane of hair. Only her eyes flicked briefly up towards sinewy appendage as it withdrew, lingering for a moment on the weary wrinkled features of her leader. Naomi gave him the briefest of nods and what might have been a smile.

"I figured we wouldn't have these suckers on our backs for at least another four days," the old man sighed, the blades rattling as he rubbed his arm. His voice sounded tired. He moved away, propping his hands on two adjacent raised merlon mounds on the crenelated walls. His body hung in the gap between them, cold wind tugging at his faded chest hair.

All that greeted him below was the sight of the putrid green haze devouring the mountainside of his ancestral home. It slivered ever closer to the city as his shinobi gathered to meet it. Muscles twitched along the length of his exposed spine. Deep welts formed in his wrinkled brow. In the distance, soft wind whipped up the tangled coiling fringes of the expanding viridian cloud, exposing a deep chartreuse underbelly, laden with the thick brown of rapidly dying plant-life. The daimyo's torn lips quivered with suppressed emotion. His fingers clenched, the long claw-like blades protruded over the edge of the wall as if ready to cut into the very fabric of the air itself. The Mizukage straightened up, staring at him with her long tresses falling back into place over her cobalt blue outfit as she did so.

"They shouldn't have been this hot on our tails," the older man hissed under his breath, ignoring her and the rest of the company. A weary growl escaped him, along with a slight slump in the line of his powerful shoulders, "Young Masaru must have been lying in wait for us to pull a move like this for a while now. Sneaky little…" He slammed a fist against the stone and spun around, turning on his unsurprised second-in-command. "Security is back up, I take it? You got them tracked and located?"

He snarled again, spitting on the ground, as his narrowed eyes regarded the young woman. Gaara straightened, but he barely had time to blink before the old man was inches from the hime's face. His blades jabbed the space under her chin, but it never seemed to cause her concern. She closed her eyes with a cephalic quiver of acquiesce, opening them again to return the gaze not just of her own leader but the five Kage and their various assembled attendants.

The Hokage bristled in suppressed indignation at the treatment of one she thought of as a patient. Some of the others shuffled nervously around her, but it was more the placidity of the hime's gaze that seemed to upset them. A less than reassuring mechanical detachment, devoid of human emotion, seeped through her stare. For once she did not even bother to smile, politely or otherwise. Gaara just thought how tired she seemed.

Kankurou scowled, folding his arms as Ton-Ton squealed softly behind him. Ao stepped forwards, eyeing the woman coldly as she sat motionless in her wheelchair. His frown deepened. The chilly air had grown colder still. Akatsuchi moaned softly, fiddling with the edge of his scarf.

"Good girl," the daimyo grunted distantly, ignoring the stirring behind him. His arm dropped away as thoughtlessly as it had threatened her. "Figures I can count on you," a corner of his savaged mouth lifted, but not into a smile. His face remained resolutely hardened as he stared into the face of the seated woman, "Keep it up, you, and get ready to throw one out there like in the old days. I'm going to need your best for this." Seishin's princess merely gave her leader yet another nod, even as he turned his back on her.

Tsunade spluttered into life, outrage boiling under her skin until it sizzled its way though to the surface. "You must be joking!" she hissed, marching forwards with quivering fists, "You're going to make her lead this fight? Do you think she's fit for that right now? After the… the thing you pulled last night…"

"Don't you tell me what to do with my soldiers, madam," the daimyo growled, rounding on the Hokage with an indignant glare. She snarled defiance, but he advanced on her, blades rattling, eyes narrowed dangerously, "That girl was born and bred for battle – and don't you forget it. She may not be in top condition to go slugging it out on the front lines, but when Seishin's in trouble her place is right here at the helm of the ship. It's death or duty in these parts and the troops need a captain to function."

Tsunade spluttered loudly, but he cut her off with another wave of his arm. "She'll be fine. She is Seishin's Goddess of War," he murmured in an undertone that might have been intended as reassuring, "Just as Masaru trained her to be."

"And who precisely are we fighting?" the Mizukage interjected, pursing her lips over her folded arms, "You don't think the fact that Kuroppoi trained her works _slightly_ to his advantage?"

The daimyo snorted in amusement, throwing his head back as he did so. "The whelp's not seen the girl since she was a lamb of eight," he sneered, casting a sideways look at the wheelchair. It was empty and its former occupant showed no sign of interest in the conversation. She had lifted herself up into the crenelle gap in the wall above her, her legs curled against the cold stone, her back propped up against a merlon with a single arm stretched out to hold her in place. Blood-stained fushia battledress stood out vividly against the murky sky, her messy hair was tossed back over her shoulders and her shoulders tense. Her gaze was out on the horizon. Only Gaara noticed that she had shifted a little, giving the turret that led downstairs an occasional glace. "That same lamb's been assigned command campaigns since she hit double figures," the daimyo went on, clicking his tongue dismissively, "She can do this job: same as she does any other. I expect no less from my shinobi."

He sighed loudly, apparently resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "And now, perhaps the five honourable Kage would do us the honour of waiting indoors?" The daimyo grunted, stretching his shoulders. He indicated the small rounded arch in one of the castle turrets that concealed the doorway. The Tsuchikage seemed a little taken aback as the daimyo brushed passed him, but Seishin's leader barely acknowledged the other man, waving an arm absently at the assembled group collectively. "This here ain't our job. Things'll be getting a little feisty, if you know what I mean. That's best left to my commander, tempting though it is to stay," he clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, each spoken tone growing longer with regret, "Us folk with the fancy hats and titles will be better off having a nice little strategy meeting in an anteroom somewhere and barking orders from there. Too many things too protect at once tends to give the rank and file the jitters. Eggs in the same basket and all that…"

"On the contrary," the Tsuchikage retorted, huffing slightly as he folded his arms, "The Alliance seems to have had the best results with _all_ its commanders at the helm, as it were." The Raikage laughed loudly, giving the statement a vicarious nod. Gaara grunted in agreement, his arms folded. Tamari glanced at him. The Mizukage smiled. Shizune adjusted her hold on the pig, glancing at her superior.

"We're not leaving," Tsunade added, her voice extremely cold, "Although your hime should be, if either of you had any sense."

For a long, still moment, the daimyo eyed them, taking in the mutual defiance of all five kage. Then he inclined his head slightly so he could raise his torn eyebrow at his second-in-command.

Her head turned a little, unkempt messy hair falling down against her nose. Something twitched in the muscles around her eyes. For the first time, her attention seemed to be fixed on the conversation the daimyo had been holding with the other leaders. She frowned. Her lip moved and she sighed under her breath, casting a stray glace at the horizon again. The dense green visibly made her shudder.

Pushing her feet against the solid stone, she gripped the edge of the raised merlon against her back, twisting herself around until she was facing inwards again. "_The five most honoured Kage and their valued attendants understand, of course_," the disembodied voice echoed eerily around the battlements. Her expression remained impassive as the wind played softly with the ends of her hair, "_That many of my abilities are telepathic in nature and that when operating at my fullest potential, I cannot guarantee the privacy of the thoughts of anyone in such close proximity to me_."

There was a silence. Ao coughed loudly, making the Mizukage glance at him. Choujuurou shifted nervously at the older man's frown, but it was Gaara who folded his arms, smiling as he shook his head. "I'm not thinking anything I wouldn't wish to share with you," he replied. The Tsuchikage stared at him as if he had gone insane, even his siblings seemed alarmed, but the expression on his face did not waver for a second.

"_As you wish then_," she shrugged her shoulders absently, letting her eyes drift away towards the turret. The daimyo made a low noise of surprise and she added a vague circular motion of her hand to a second shrug. Her expression was meticulously impassive. "_It is not as if it is any less safe here than down below_."

Nothing more was said. Tsunade gritted her teeth at being ignored and hissed a sigh, her lips drawn tight, but the hime remained as devoid of expression as she had been before. Kurotsuchi scoffed loudly, her disapproving expression mirroring her grandfather's. The Raikage shifted the weight on his feet, frowning. He glanced down at B, who paused only momentarily in his scribbling to raise an eyebrow back at him before returning to his notebook, tutting to himself.

The feudal lord set his jaw. "Fine," he snapped and his eyes narrowed dangerously, "Suit yourselves, but remember one thing…" He paused, his voice deceptively low as his glare lingered on each of the five Kage in turn. Kankurou's hand hovered suggestively close to some of his kunai. The implied threat caused the Seishin's hime stiffened slightly on the parapet wall, fixing him under her steady gaze, but the daimyo merely flexed his long blades and ignored the Suna shinobi. "The moment that fume-spitting horde set foot in my country," the old man hissed, still glaring at the assembled crowd, "This stopped being an Alliance matter and became a Seishin problem: and that means it'll be Seishin that drives this mess back off our turf. You guys can just sit tight until those brats are back off our shores. Got it?" His fist jerked forward, rattling his blades for emphasis.

The Raikage growled and the Tsuchikage huffed indignantly as Gaara tensed beside him. "I doubt you'd let us forget it," Ao muttered coldly.

A loud intake of breath interrupted them. The Mizukage strode forward, her loose clothes and hair streaming out behind her. Her face was flushed and eyes narrowed as she rounded on the daimyo. "If it weren't for the possibility of another war with Granite, we wouldn't be here at all, would we?" she spat, fists shaking with rage, "You'd push your country until it collapses fighting this thing off on your own. No matter what it took. No matter how many lives were lost. We're offering you aid and you just…"

The daimyo glared at her. "If you think something like this would break Seishin," he growled, "You're severely underestimating my country." Gaara glanced at the hime, attempting to gauge her reaction. There didn't seem to be one. She watched the daimyo with perfect passivity, apparently unmoved by anything other than a direct threat to his safety.

Suddenly the sound of a door slapping echoed up from inside the turret. Footsteps sounded from inside, pelting up the stairs and a voice cried, "Hime-sama. Assigned long-range formations are now in place. The medicals teams are standing by… Oh…" Long blonde hair appeared through the entryway and Yurika stumbled into view, waking Darui up with a jolt as she nearly tripped over him. Her bare feet slid on the stone as she stopped in alarm, eyeing the assembled crowd. If it weren't for the quick reflexes of the Kumogakure ninja, seizing her shoulder, she would have toppled over.

"Tono, assembled Kage-sama, other honoured guests," she added rather lamely, the end of her ponytail slapping against her face with expended momentum, "We're…err…"

"…_Ready to begin_," a disembodied voice finished for her. Planting a hand down on the centre of the crenelle, Naomi pushed herself upright, her brightly clad body vibrant against the distant green smog. With no more than a sweep of her hand, she fished something out of free-fall from the many flairs of her skirt. The long pink ribbon-like fabric of her heavily embellished hitai-ate streamed momentarily through the chilly air, one end pressed between her fingers. She held the metal plate firmly against her forehead and her free hand swept back her hair, winding it into a twisted bundle at the nape of her neck, before securing it with the ends of the ribbon. "_I know, Yurika… and you're late._"


End file.
